Juri, from girl to oracle
by CLAMPraven
Summary: From language problems to forbidden love, Jenny must overcome the fact that she's in the FY world and guide the Shichiseishi to their destinies as Juri the oracle...er, then again, what IS the plot of this? (~COMPLETE~)
1. Prologue

**-Prologue-**

**There! That ought to make you read it!**

Be careful what you wish for...

Whoever said that was obviously not a Fushigi Yuugi fangirl.

All FY fangirls wish to be in the universe of the four gods!

The truth is, the fangirls obviously don't think about the trouble with a real transition to the Fushigi Yuugi universe.

Sure, all you fangirls would _like_ to be there, at _first_, but have you thought about...

Whether you will even find the Suzaku Shichiseishi at all? It's a big universe.

How are you going to get the Shichiseishi to like them, and not think you're a pain in the ass?

And for the most important (yet most overlooked) items,

What if you can't speak the language?

What if you can't fight, and are faced with the possibilities of getting killed?

Worse off, what if you have to watch as your favorite characters get hurt or die?

And for fan**girls** only, what about your times of the month? 

What? WHAT?!? They don't manufacture tampons in Konan!

So don't sue me!!

All of this and more is faced by one girl, who had the chance to fulfill her wildest dreams.

She's ventured beyond the world that we know, and discovered the truth about a universe we have always thought was just pictures across the screen and volumes of ridiculously expensive manga.

She has seen love, death, and the power of Suzaku (plus Genrou and Kouji's dancing!).

At first she thought she was hallucinating.

But then she found out that Fushigi Yuugi is real.

And she...um...passed out in the process.

Here is the story that she brought back to us. The story of...

**"Juri" **

**-From girl to oracle-**

**By CLAMPraven**

* * *

Well, I've done it. I've finally done and cracked. 

_In the Absence of Tomoyo _has gone on a little slowly, and now, I think you finally know why. It was because I had just discovered the beauty of Fushigi Yuugi/Mysterious Play. 

Through this experience, I have discovered that Miaka acts horribly like Sailormoon, Yui looks horribly like Sailoruranus, Nuriko and Fisheye both crossdress...horribly...but don't look at me like I'm trying to make a comparison...um. In any case, during this time, while fumbling over who copied who (if they were copies), I made up my mind to create a FY fic, and set to work. 

And during this time, I've also discovered Wedding Peach. So that makes for three animes that I can't decide on...who copied who, really?!? My head's getting scrambled...

I'd assume therefore, what everyone else assumed, that Wedding Peach is just not up to standard...

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHRG!!!

(CLAMPraven gets pulverized by an army of WP fans!!! Wedding Peach is kicking ass...if anyone cares...)

Ow...(snap)! I think I broke a nail...but you know that's not the point! The point I'm really trying to make (I realize that I'm going really off topic, but...) is that FY is the best anime I've seen in a long time. Some animes are good only on the first heads-up, but FY isn't like that.

So-o...story sounds interesting so far? Methinks so. Let's read.

(All the WP fans drop their magic lipsticks, Saint Miroirs, and wedding bouquets, cuddling up next to CLAMPraven as she starts to read the story...)

- CLAMPraven 

* * *

SUZAKU, SEIRYUU, GENBU, AND BYAKKO

_(Just a bunch of dialogue between the gods. I tried to make it really funny, and I think it is. But if you're not in the mood, drop by another time or just skip it all until I post the next chapter. You won't be missing anything...)_

_Suzaku: The story of Juri is one that is extremely entertaining, increasingly tense, and in some cases just slightly moronic._

_Suzaku: Okay, cut the crap. Let's get serious, shall we?_

_Suzaku: Juri was the first girl to ever travel beyond your reality to the anime world._

_Suzaku: Her name was never really Juri...it was a name given to her by her comrades, the loyal soldiers and Miko of Suzaku._

_Suzaku: At first, Juri was just a normal girl who went by the name of Jenny Fung, living in an average apartment in the streets of the T dot , a world away from Japan where the real FY fandom was. Naturally, we're talking Canada, which is the most peaceful place anyone can live. But not for this one unfortunate...er, fortunate...girl._

_Suzaku: Why in the world was this one girl chosen? Well, it was a trial, meant to test her morals, her nobility, her courage, her-_

_Byakko: I thought you said cut the crap, Suzaku. What're you going on about now?_

_Suzaku: Shut up Byakko._

_Byakko: You chose Jenny 'cause she was easy fry. Furthermore, you were bored with taunting Seiryuu. That, my little misguided readers, is why Suzaku really chooses these people._

_Suzaku: Shut UP, Byakko..._

_Byakko: You shut up, chicken. The story's about to start._

_Suzaku: Oh. Right. Well, here goes...um..._

_Byakko: (exasperated) What NOW?!?_

_Suzaku: I can't find the remote. _

_Byakko: I thought you had it in story format, too!! Just find the book!!_

_Suzaku: You know the gods are illiterate. I happen to have the tape, but who the hell has the remote?!_

_Genbu: Hey, guys...what are you all up to?..._

_Byakko: Genbu, old man. Seen the remote anywhere? Chicken boy's brain's about the size of a walnut, so he can't remember where he put it._

_Suzaku: You know, that is relatively big, compared to the average chicken..._

_Genbu: I...I have the remote...right here..._

_Suzaku: __Well, then! Come on already and give it here!_

_Genbu: I'm...COMING...!!! (struggles)_

_Byakko: __(whisper) Prepare yourselves....this is gonna take quite a while..._

After 2 hours...

_Suzaku: __Byakko!!! Bakayarou, wake up already!!!_

_Byakko: Hmmm...?_

_Suzaku: __You didn't just have another wet dream, did you?!? What's all this white stuff on the couch?!?_

_Byakko: Oh, that...I think I did. Fell asleep while waiting for Genbu again. Hey, you got the remote from him yet?_

_Genbu: Hm?_

_Byakko: Oh, okay..._

_Suzaku: __You are SO going to clean this up afterwards..._

_Byakko: I don't mind it. Did the movie start yet?_

_Suzaku: __You're **very** lucky...we've just rolled through the credits...not like we're waiting for you OR Seiryuu..._

_Seiryuu: Hey! Did you start the film without me again?!?_

_Suzaku: __Oh, k'so..._

_Genbu: Hello Seiryuu...we're all watching that Juri girl on tape...not that I can really see, but that's okay..._

_Seiryuu: You have Juri on tape? That's the one decent thing you've done all millennia, Suzaku. Now let me find a place on the...OH MY GOD..._

_Byakko: You don't have one._

_Seiryuu: Who made this mess on MY PART OF THE COUCH?!?_

_Suzaku: __Byakko did it. Get a mop or something..._

* * *

(WP girls all leave in disgust)

Hey! Oh, well. Never liked you ANYWAY!!

Nothing's happening so far, but it will. Trust me. I couldn't make my chapters too long. So tell me, how was the first part? The next parts will, hopefully, be as good, getting more and more serious afterwards. If you don't like it, I'd advise you, read another fic. Just don't insult a young writer like myself. We really need all the support we can get.

_I_ even like this fic. You can expect more chapters very soon.

- CLAMPraven 


	2. BeginningUnder Protest' Mishap

**"Juri"**

**-from girl to oracle-**

**By CLAMPraven**

* * *

~ Beginning...Under Protest ~

Part 1 of the Legend of Juri - _Mishap_

* * *

~Jenny~

Another average day at home alone, in an apartment across the street from an elementary school that I had long forgotten. My friends are sitting at home, too, I suppose, or somewhere in the plaza playing. Or maybe they're at the community center...you really can't tell with people.

Life in Toronto needs some spice.

There's the internet, then there's the games I play, the bed I sleep in, the stool I sit on. Sure, it's vacation time, but who knows? How am I going to spend it if my computer's using dial-up and I'm becoming nearsighted with the weeks to come? 

I don't own a journal, and I don't mind losing memory. It was never that important what I did at graduations, what I ate at Christmas, who I liked back when I was in ESL...nothing interesting ever happens.

My Rayearth comics are stashed in the corner, and my Evangelion II CD playing while I drift off into the imagination. 

Not much fun. Maybe I'll go to the library.

Yeah...

-

Our library was screwed up, and I never seemed to find the books I want. It pissed me off that I was so bored I had to read.

It's not like I had a problem with reading. I was a smart kid. I used to read at recess, at school in the middle of lessons, to the point where my parents start becoming...well, concerned...

Most parents didn't have to deal with that kind of problem. 

I smirked. I would've been in the gifted program if I had wanted to. But I'd already been to 6 different schools, and I was not about to switch just because of enrichment purposes. Let's just say that my parents liked to travel. I've never been suspended or expelled or anything like that...Mom would've died if that ever happened. It's just that with the limited amount of skill my parents had in job searching, we always seem to need more opportunities somewhere else...

But I'd gotten used to it. My friends were small, a bit dumb and moronic sometimes, but where would I be without them? 

People think I was antisocial. Then they discover that I have had to lose this many people and they all managed to apologize. I didn't give a damn, really.

Something flashy caught my eye...

I turned around to find that a huge red hardcover has fallen behind me...

Squatting down, I picked it up. It seemed very old. The binding was wearing off, and the book had no title. Most books around here are like that. I felt obliged, however, to open it...

Inside was a 2-page spread of a young man with huge scarlet wings, feathers encircling him everywhere. In the background was a dark silhouette of...a phoenix, it seemed. The watercolor painting was done anime-style, and it automatically reminded me of something else...

"Fushigi Yuugi..." I murmured, staring at the picture. "Suzaku...?"

I had heard a lot about the anime called Fushigi Yuugi/Mysterious Play, mostly from my friends and the internet. I had a vague outline of how the story goes...about two girls who traveled to another world through a book... 

I gasped.

The man in the picture, Suzaku, was staring directly at me. Then, the painting started animating...the feathers flew, his robes scattered...

He smiled mischievously. 

"Oh, no..." I could only stare and mutter. "Oh, hell, no...no way...!!"

The book was glowing.

---

~Suzaku~

I smiled at the girl's shock, seen through my magic television monitoring set.

Heck, she was bored, and so was I! 

I was too tired of playing checkers with old Genbu...they said he was undefeated in it. Turned out that's because **no** god, let alone human, could wait for _him _to make his move...

So, might as well find something else to do...

I had done a little research about this human earlier today. Turned out she was a loner, didn't want any friends. A major brainiac, too. She also happens to be quite the cute little kid, although just slightly overweight...

The portal was opened, and the girl was swept inside with a gust of red wind... 

This was going to be fun...

---

~Jenny~

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHRG!!!!"

OOF!!!

Owwwww....

I rubbed my head and sat up.

Damn.

All around me were people. Dressed like servants. In a Chinese palace. A FY-styled Chinese palace. 

I blinked.

Yep, they were real. There were men carrying long horsehair brushes and wearing funny little caps. Then there were ladies wearing robes of silk and golden pins in their hair, one in particular with dark purple bangs cascading over her forehead. All of them had anime faces and Yuu Watase eyes, a FY trait.

And they were all staring at me...

The purple haired lady walked up to me, cautiously at first, then slowly advancing. 

"Daijoubu desu ka?" She asked timidly, holding out one hand.

I cocked my head to one side stupidly. _So they DID speak Japanese... _That was...problematic. 

I took her hand...then nearly screamed at how hard this one lady pulled. She saw my face contorting, then relaxed, smiled, and spoke in Japanese, seemingly explaining her strength, which I didn't understand at all... It would've all been fine if they spoke Mandarin instead; at least then I would get what they're saying, but _no-o_...

I couldn't speak Japanese if my life depended on it. Which was the case. But I did pick out one word...

Kourin.

I stared at her hard. I knew Kourin. This was NOT Kourin. Kourin was dead.

This was...**Nuriko**!

My memory slowly flooded back into my head. Nuriko took Kourin's identity when she died...no wonder! But if I hadn't heard, I certainly wouldn't be able to tell the difference. Yuu Watase didn't exaggerate Nuriko's beauty, that's for sure.

Now he was pausing and studying me. Turned out my silence confused him. It even confused myself. I screamed only once during the whole transportation to another world thing, which the funnel could've swallowed up. But aside from that, I said nothing.

Nothing.

I blinked again. An idea came to mind that even surprised myself.

Slowly, hesitantly, I drew a finger over my lips. 

For a minute, Nuriko just stood there stunned. Then his face seemed to clear and he smiled in understanding, nodding at my gesture. Taking my arm eagerly, he ushered me down the elegant halls of the palace, ignoring all onlookers and jabbering at me cheerfully.

I couldn't believe myself. I had just told Nuriko that I was a mute. 

It gave me an excuse, of course...but was it the right thing to do?

Too late now, I thought. I trudged on with the delighted Shichiseishi, wondering what exactly was going on...

---

~Suzaku~

I raised an eyebrow. 

This girl's smarter than she looks! But will it help her in the long run?

She was lucky so far, that she had landed where Nuriko could find her and bring her to the rest of the Suzaku Seishi. If she hadn't, the chances of her even surviving, let alone finding the Seishi and Miko, were more or less impossible. But considering she had a little help from me with the first one, this ought to be interesting...

The Shichiseishi needed someone like her to guide them along their quest. Jenny doesn't know very much about Fushigi Yuugi, as they call it in her world, but she does know enough to tell what is going to happen. And if she doesn't, I suppose I can always cheat her a portal or two to go back to her world and do some research. Just not too much.

"What're you doing?"

I turned around. "Go 'way, Byakko. I'm watching something."

"She's cute," The tiger god remarked, sitting down on the sofa. "Mind if I join you?"

I pushed the big furry lug off with a wing. "Get your own couch!"

"Watch your mouth, chicken. I could easily beat you, you know."

"Get the hell-"

"Hog." The fellow god stumbled off and ran out of my space.

One minute it's chicken, and the other minute it's hog. When's he gonna make up a better insult?

Oh well. I couldn't have him wetting on my couch. I squatted closer to the screen.

* * *

I know, I know. This chapter wasn't as fun as the last one. But then again, it's not always about humor. Jenny's character is supposed to be a very calm, serious, accepting type. Given that there's a language barrier, however, the story starts becoming more interesting, don't you think? 

Things happen slowly here, and Jenny will be faced with more and more problems on top of the current one. Given the circumstances, will she ever return home in time? And will she survive, knowing she isn't supposed to speak after telling Nuriko he couldn't?

Keep reading, and always remember to review!

- CLAMPraven 


	3. BeginningUnder Protest' Misunderstood

**"Juri"**

**-from girl to oracle-**

**By CLAMPraven**

* * *

~ Beginning...Under Protest ~

Part 2 of the legend of Juri - Misunderstood

* * *

Hello again everyone! You might be wondering why I'm putting another annoying comment in front of the story when it isn't necessary. That is, if you're still wondering...or maybe you have skipped all this trash to go on to the story. Young people these days have no respect for the author's comments anymore. (shakes head)

So why did I put my comment here? 'Cause I forgot to put the disclaimer up again! So here we go:

Disclaimer: Fushigi Yuugi is the property of Watase Yuu + co., all rights reserved.

There! (What a waste of good space, too...) Well, now that that's over with, let me get on with the legend of Juri. I just hope this chapter's better than before, and I hope I get more support. I don't like removing my stories, but if they're really just pathetic, I guess I have no choice. 

A shame, really. I actually liked this story. But I suppose there aren't enough FY fans out there to read it. (shrugs)

So on to the story. While Suzaku watches from his exalted TV screen in a faraway place, a very confused Jenny is trudging along reluctantly behind Nuriko, not knowing what's going on at all... As the senshi bearing the sign of yanagi eagerly drags the newcomer through most of the palace, Jenny gets a sinking feeling that this might be the last she'll see of home...

On the other hand, she's also looking around for a mirror, trying to see if she's any prettier in the FY prospective...(sighs) (shakes head again). Everyone wants the big eyes these days...shameful...

- CLAMPraven 

* * *

~Jenny~

I wonder where Nuriko is taking me...

It seems like we've scaled half the palace by now. How big is this place? I guess Emperor Hotohori must've wanted lots of room to put his mirrors. Either that, or those old Chinese operas weren't kidding about the confusion of these things. I just hope we get there soon...

If Hotohori is as obsessed with himself as they said he was, he must've had mirrors! Maybe even a whole room of glass walls...

I sure hope that's the case. Everyone else here looks like they've just bounced out of the anime alive...all so pretty and Watase Yuu-ish. I wonder what I looked like, though...certainly not realistic! 

Suzaku couldn't be that cruel...

I wonder how pretty I look as an anime character. I've already taken a good look at my hands and my clothes...they were completely animated! I've always loved my long fingers, and I'm surprised that my nails have seemingly grown back with the transition...I thought they were bitten down to scrap!

Oh well. My nail-biting couldn't be helped...

Suddenly the bishounen guiding me stopped, as a man clothed in silky, extravagant robes came forth. His hair was tied up in a bun and there was a golden symbol of a dragon on his chest. Hotohori.

He stared at him. Then at me. 

Then back at him. Then back at me.

He raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

5 movements that told everyone how confused he really was, and they _rhymed_, too! ...I made a mental note of this. This guy was good! Even I could understand that...

Nuriko stepped forward and proceeded to explain just what was going on, using exaggerated movements of his arms and hands. Although I didn't have a clue what he was saying, it was full of twists and turns of his high, feminine voice. I think he looked like an idiot. I couldn't tell. But I could guess what he was getting at. As he jabbered at Hotohori, who could only stare, he described what seemed to be my fall to the ground.

It took roughly...4 minutes. 

Hotohori nodded, then advanced towards me. What was going to happen now?!?

Not knowing what was really the right thing to do, I fell to the ground in a kneel and proceeded to bow to him for all I was worth. I had heard that emperors are known to behead you if you make one wrong move...

I should've expected Nuriko to death-haul me up. I stared dumbly as he laughed at how silly I was acting, then started ushering me towards the emperor. Feeling numb, I watched as Hotohori introduced himself (I heard his name...) in his full-bodied, sexy voice, and took me by the hand, telling me where I was (Konan, I heard) and something about whether I was okay.

Naturally, I was frozen in place...

I guess I was acting so stupid, Hotohori started to look worried and started whispering urgently with Nuriko, both sounding frightened and tense.

I waited for their response for another minute, until Nuriko gestured me away with a wave of his hand. 

I figured they didn't mind where I went. Stumbling along through the guards, I ventured off to find a mirror...

-

~Suzaku~ 

Man, this girl is in deep shit. 

Not only do Hotohori and Nuriko both think she's a vegetable, but now she's on the verge of colliding with Yuuki Miaka...perhaps an even bigger dummy than herself...

All of a sudden, the TV stopped. I stood up to find none other than Byakko standing behind it, holding an unplugged wire in his hand.

He glared at me. "There, I've unplugged it. Now you either tell me if you're watching hentai or I'll-"

"YOU BASTARD!!! GET THE HELL AWAY FROM MY TV SET!!!!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHRG!!! Can't we talk about this?!?? I mean-"

**"YOU'RE DEAD!!!"**

-

~Jenny~

I couldn't help but gasp. 

I had found one of Hotohori's most prized possessions...his mirror room. And they weren't the funny kind, either. These mirrors were diamond-plaited and shimmering with jewels in the frames. There was no dust or static on the glass, so the reflection was crystal clear. Everywhere you look, there they are. I turned towards one of them, admiring my new-found image... 

I smirked evilly. Jackpot.

My face was officially anime style, and it was so damn pretty it hurts...!!

My eyes, for one, weren't round like Miaka or Nuriko's. They were thin, but not too thin, much like Tamahome's, and the eyelashes were fanned out perfectly. My hair was shiny and light, not to mention even softer than before. My lips were a neat pink, and I think my nose had shrunk down just enough to make everything look right. My face was powdery pale, as usual, but the skin tone matched very well. And...

NO. MORE. PIMPLES!!!!!!!! MUAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

Words can't describe what that means to me.

Suddenly I heard the door creak open. I instantly turned around to come face to face with...

_Yuuki Miaka._

"..."

_"..."_

"SHINNYUUSHA!!!"

Damndamndamndamndamndamndamndamndamndamndamndamndamndamn....

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!!!!"

Oh, Shit...!!

_-_

~Suzaku~

"What the hell just happened?!?" I shouted angrily as I plugged the wire back into the TV and leaped forward to see that the tape was playing without me. Byakko...!!!

"I think you missed a good minute of your film, Suzaku no baka," commented Seiryuu, slithering up to the screen andstaring at it curiously. Ugh...

"DAMN YOU, SEIRYUU!!! Besides, THAT was a rhetorical question...HEY!" 

Byakko crawled out of the dent in the wall I wedged him in a minute ago, bruised and battered to perfection. He won't be using his little take down technique anytime soon...

"Damn shoulder! Sometimes I - oh, Seiryuu!" His voice suddenly turned to gooey sweetness, meant to mock me... "Good to have you here, brother! Looks like you've got even more company, chicken! Now you'll have to tell us what that film is, don't you?"

"SEIRYUU...BYAKKO..."

"You say something, chicken?"

"Get. _**OUT. NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"**_

(crack)

"You broke the windows again, Suzaku!" Now _Genbu _was limping here, too... "You ungrateful god, you! I just had them repaired last week and now you start screaming and..." He muttered on despite the odd looks everyone else shot him. 

I raised an eyebrow. Why wasn't my screaming working?!? How come everyone in the whole realm is coming here, to watch _my _TV?!?

-

~Jenny~

I held my breath as I collapsed on the ground. Don'tscreamdon'tscrewyourcoverdon'tscreamdon'tscrewyourcoverdon'tscream...

For once, I could actually understand what anyone's saying around here. I'm pretty sure _shinnyuusha _meant a thief, or an intruder...oh, _wow_...a lot of good that does me...

I've formed my own conclusions as to what happens next...

It was only seconds later that the guards rushed in and questioned what all the screaming was about. Neither of us could give a real answer...Miaka's too busy stuttering from the shock, and I was...well, I was a mute. Sort of. So I decided to keep my foreign trap shut, like I was supposed to, and await the next movement...

That was the time when Hotohori and his bodyguards, along with a very pissed-off Nuriko, came charging in. 

The purple-haired senshi took one look at me, one look at the indiscernible Miaka, and proceeded to beat the crap out of the stupefied guards. The emperor, on the other hand, took inconceivable effort to tear himself away from his own reflection before dragging me up and explaining to both of us who each the other was. He took a while for Miaka's explanation, possibly because he was going on and on about the purpose of a miko and where this one girl came from, her tasks, etc. 

It was really quite funny to me, because never once during this whole time did the thought that I didn't speak the same language cross Hotohori's mind. But I didn't mind. I knew what a miko was, so I just kept nodding my head.

Next, he moved on to me, copying every movement that Nuriko had done and taking another 4 minutes of my time. When he finished, Miaka was still a bit uncertain, and asked both Hotohori and me a question. 

I heard the word Miko, and I realized that she must've thought me as a new miko!

But all four contries had their mikos. My purpose here remains a mystery, so I shook my head while Hotohori remained silent.

It wasn't much longer before another man came into the room. Squeezing past Nuriko and the cowering guards that were begging for mercy, he arrived into our circle. In the light, I could see that this handsome man was none other than Tamahome. 

And once again, Hotohori had to go through his whole explanation again, with a wry face. I understood completely. 

After that was finally done and over, Nuriko had bent the guards into neat little pretzels, and started scolding Hotohori and myself. 

I guess he was yelling about how I could wander about in one designated room and not the other ones, getting myself into trouble. My other guess was that he wasn't going to take it lightly the next time...

On the other hand, he also yelled at Hotohori, who was once again fixated on one of his reflections...

I could only stare. 

Nuriko's temper was really something. I don't know if he was aware, but he could just force Hotohori into a tight situation and...well, get what he always wanted from the beautiful emperor. But I suppose Nuri-chan wanted to play it the honest way. Little does he know, his best chance with Hotohori had already passed him...

Poor Nuriko. He was really quite cute, and I'd take him as a boyfriend any day if it weren't for the age difference. I have a thing about that, but aside, he deserved Hotohori, or at least someone who could treat him right...

I felt a hand on my shoulder. Looking up, my gaze met a very flustered Miaka. She was apologizing for Nuriko's behavior, I guessed, then led me by the hand, past the now contorted guards. Tamahome also left the room, but I think he went to call a medic for Nuri-chan's damage...oy.

Miaka's temperament had changed from angry to the happy-go-lucky attitude I'd expected in the first place, as she kept waving at the guards and handmaidens (some of which took her for an idiot and ignored it), showing me around the palace all the while...

At least I wasn't _that _misunderstood...Miaka actually knew how to treat a stranger. 

After all, she was one herself not so long ago.

I just hope she remembers to tell me where the washroom is...

* * *

This chapter was REALLY, REALLY boring, and I apologize for it. Plus, it was much longer than I had in mind, so please, _tell me if you want me to remove this chapter and edit it over!!!_

Please keep reading; I promise it'll get better, ok?

- CLAMPraven 


	4. BeginningUnder Protest' Foreign

**"Juri"**

**-from girl to oracle-**

**By CLAMPraven**

* * *

~ Beginning...Under Protest ~

Part 3 of the Legend of Juri - Foreign

* * *

Hello again; I've decided to keep this fic up for the meantime, and see if I get any more responses. Can't do too badly, I suppose. 

I'll try to add more humor into this next one. While only a few individuals have read and reviewed, I cannot let even those few individuals down by making another dowdy chapter. I have to keep going and try to turn this into a better story. That is my commitment to you.

Meanwhile, you might be wondering where this fic is going, if it's going anywhere at all. But wouldn't you know it? Jenny had decided to keep a journal of her experiences. She writes in it once or twice; she's not very consistent. But it was a gift from Miaka, and because of that, she had decided to make an effort. Meanwhile, she's getting more familiar with the FY characters and their world. She's made friends with both Miaka and Nuriko, and even Hotohori takes time out from court just to watch her. Tama, on the other hand, is still not convinced...

WELL, it's about time something exciting happened once again in Jenny's life. She couldn't get too used to her new discovery without Suzaku trying to make her slip up once or twice....

AND ALSO, AS A WARNING: THE FIC WILL BE DONE IN OTHER PEOPLE'S PERSPECTIVES, NOT JUST JENNY'S AND SUZAKU'S!! ANY POV'S DONE FOR JAPANESE-SPEAKING CHARACTERS WILL BE TRANSLATED IN ENGLISH, SO **DON'T ASK TWICE!!!**

-CLAMPraven 

* * *

~Jenny~

-------------------------------------------------

_Diary entry #1, my first and foremost:_

_ There couldn't have been a bigger change in my life. I had been...summoned, possibly probably by Suzaku, into the world of Fushigi Yuugi. Not that they would call it that, here in Konan..._

_ I had met characters I had only ever dreamt of...Nuriko, Hotohori, Miaka, and Tamahome, along with their servants, guards, noblemen, and handmaidens of all ages. _

_ I had started out meeting Nuriko first thing as I fell into this world. He pretends to be a woman, not that anyone would care, because he is (undoubtedly) stronger than most men, and I am here to testify that. Needless to say, he does pretend to be a woman, and a very handsome/beautiful one at that. I get the feeling that no one knows that he's not Kourin...not yet. In the anime, that happens later. I don't particularly mind that he is wearing a dress, but the fact of the matter was that he hid it so well..._

_ I had seen him, more than once, making fun of Miaka. I could tell by his tone of voice. And being that he could turn SD, I have seen him, also more than once, drooling over Hotohori. I had asked him once whether he liked/loved Hotohori using hand gestures (point to him, point to own chest, point to Hotohori; it's that simple). He was a little surprised, but he did say "hai", so naturally I think we bonded just a little more with that. I couldn't exactly say that Nuriko liked kids, but he was just a little fond of me, because ever since the mirror room incident, I had never got into any trouble, and always acted logically around the palace. I also think that Nuriko hangs around me to get away from the incompetence that is Miaka, but I can't be too sure..._

_ Then there's Hotohori. I hadn't really gotten to know him very well, since he does spend most of his time in court, possibly discussing the matter at hand: what to do with Miaka, the Suzaku no Miko. The few times I had gotten to see him, I saw that he had absolutely flawless features. His hair was perfect, his skin was perfect, his eyes were like stars...but then again, there's that age difference. So naturally I kept control. But Hotohori's just so pretty...!!_

_ That's the thing with emperors: they couldn't grow pimples if they tried. It's like that with him. He has a good reason to be the narcissist that he is; he certainly impressed me first-hand! But what's not impressive about him is that...well, I don't quite know why, but I see him more than enough, and I think he may be watching me....I wouldn't know. I shouldn't guess. But I suppose he wants to see how I act, as I cannot speak. That's the only reasonable explanation..._

_ Next is Miaka. She's a bit klutzy...and frankly, I had never seen **anyone **eat quite as well as her. The thing I don't get is why she never seems to lose her good shape through this. It seems like she never gains weight at all...but that's just impossible. Anyhow, I wish I had a talent like that, though I believe that may be Miaka's only talent...but no one ever takes her for granted, despite her faults. And, well...that's a good thing, 'cause otherwise she's really as good as dead...no offense._

_Nuriko may tease her, but he has a reason to. Tamahome is an outlandish type of guy, so any amount of bonding with him has to take time...therefore, he's excused. And Hotohori...well, you know Hotohori. Miaka sees their love, hears their love, and yet she doesn't always acknowledge it the way they want her to. Sometimes I think it's unfair, especially to Hotohori, that he has put so much dedication into her and didn't get a penny of it back. If I could speak Japanese right now, I'd teach her a thing or two about paying attention when the facts are right in front of her face. But since I can't, I slowly learn from my silence, and I get used to her overly sunny, unwary disposition._

_ Yet the best thing about Miaka is the fact that she understood me. Out of all the seishi, all the guards, and all the men and women in that heavenly palace, she was the only one who thought of showing me where the washroom was..._

_ Turned out it was a small ditch a little ways from the palace itself. Whoop-de-doo, I know where to piss. _

_ Miaka understood my sentiment. She took me to the garden directly after, to try and cheer me up. While prancing amongst the tulips, she told me all about herself (something about eating, sleeping, and Yui...I just assumed that's what it was) until Nuriko called us in for dinner. Although the little trip didn't have quite the effect she thought it would, I understood her a lot better. It didn't matter that we couldn't communicate with words...she understands without._

_ And as for Tamahome...well, I'll write more when I know more about the guy. It seems like he didn't want to associate with mute little bimbos like myself. Well, we'll see about that, won't we? Hm..._

-------------------------------------------------

I signed off the journal entry.

Miaka had, for once, given me something I needed, somewhere where my thoughts could be confined peacefully.

Although I have my doubts. If Miaka spoke English as fluently as I did, I would be very much afraid, because this journal is always kept in the open. My room, assigned to me by the gracious Hotohori, was small but not hidden, quiet but not a sanctuary. She would have no problem sneaking in here and taking this journal and reading every last word of it.

If she could.

"JURI!!" I heard Nuriko holler from next door.

I sighed uncomfortably. Picking up the pen Miaka lent me, I scribbled down one last thing on the half-full page.

_ (As a side note that I can't forget to mention, they always call me Juri these days. Miaka's idea. She thought it suited me, and I thought so, too. I've always liked the name Juri. Jenny, Juri. Not so different. I could get used to this...)_

Putting down the book with a silent _boom, _I left the room peacefully.

-

~Suzaku~

I blinked. Again. So...she thinks she can get used to this, does she?!?

Damn. 

I let her enter this world for her to guide the Shichiseishi, AND to put some amusement into my life. Does she think the worst is over NOW?!? Hell no!

WELL, JENNY, the SURVIVOR...let's see what would happen next! You had forgotten something very important...Miaka could speak English! In the anime, it showed that she and Yui learned English in school!

And, unfortunately for you, it is Miaka herself who will be heading to your room, very VERY soon...

"MWAHAHAHAHAHA!!! (coughcough) HAHA (cough) HAhaha...!!! Oh...I need a break..."

I collapsed down on the couch, exhausted from driving off the rest of the gods earlier, and pulled out a laptop from underneath the cushions. It has been infested with viruses and dust bunnies for far too long. It was about time I did some much needed programming...

The computer held a network connection to Konan, not to mention how it worked, what will happen to it. This is what makes me a god...gods are never surprised, and when seen, they are always calm. This is what makes me calm...I can program the world as these puny Suzaku seishi know it. I know who's gonna die, but I can always change it. It's very neat...

Now, for my master plan. 

If I could make Jenny come into Konan, I could also cure her of that nasty foreign problem that prevents her from doing anything and makes her look like an absolute vegetable. It was about time that changed. 

As I watch the poor girl eat her meal along with the seishi at dinnertime, I couldn't help but pity her. If she was destined to become Juri, the **oracle**, there was no way she couldn't speak Japanese along with everybody else! She's a smart girl...and I guess I've grown to like her a little, although I'd rather not mention...

Opening the program, I typed in some html codes following the C++ manual Genbu lent me earlier. 

She's in for a full day...

-

_Now, for a surprise, _~Miaka~_...remember what I said in the beginning..._

I snuck into the small room. It was a little messed up...I guess the servants haven't got to it yet. I knew this was Juri's room, because I've been to it many times already, _including _the time I gave her one of my notebooks as a journal.

I spotted it lying on the bed, along with some tangled sheets. Picking it up, I couldn't help but wonder excitedly...

This was all a part of Hotohori and Tamahome's plan. If I gave the mute girl something to write in, we would finally know what she's thinking, and know what's wrong with her, if anything. I knew she wrote in it, because she gestured that she would...

But the problem is that she doesn't gesture enough. Most of the time she'd only nod or shake her head, smile or frown, point or stay frozen. Hotohori has been watching her lately, and he had discovered that she does engage in walks...a lot, along the same path, seeing the same things but somehow not aware. At least, that's what he found out, before Juri began to act suspicious. He thinks she came on to him, and refused to do any more spy work.

Tamahome always acts very distant to the girl, and doesn't say too much to her. At first, I thought he was being plain mean, but then I found out that he was doing his own investigation of Juri. Only now, since Tama's a street-wise battle demon (really cute, too), he could hide and remain hidden better than Hotohori. Juri doesn't know. _But..._

Tamahome can't find out much more, either. It was strange, but Juri doesn't seem to do much of anything, even when no one's around. She would never cry for home, like I did. Tama never saw her break down once. Instead, she's always acting curious and wonders a lot, even though she can't say it. And since her windows were always blocked with thick curtains and she would never let anyone into her room (,especially someone who was being mean to her, like Tama,) she simply stayed mysterious to all of us for a while.

This is why Tama and Hotohori, as much as they hate working together (I wouldn't know why), came up with this plan. I give her a journal, and she writes in it all her thoughts. If I can sneak it back safely, we'd know all about her. We already know she came from my world, so what's left is simply why she stays the way she does...

Tucking the small journal in my grasp, I made a run for it...

-

~Tamahome~

Miaka raced into the meeting room, and I ran up to greet her.

"Where've you been, Miaka? We've been waiting - OOF!!" 

"_Gottagetthejournalbacksafelygottagetthejournalback..._OH! Tama! I'm sorry...I didn't mean to run into you, I..." The clumsy girl got off me with her apologies, but my head was still dizzy from the force that hit me...

You'd think that the girl never gained weight when she ate...well, if she tackles you, you're in for a big surprise...

Nuriko hauled me up, barely grunting. For a woman, that was a bit _strange_, but we've all gotten used to it.* 

"NOW!" she bellowed, "Let's get down to business, shall we? I take it that you have the...um, 'journal?'"

"Right here!" Miaka held the book out for everyone to see. 

We had it all planned. The three of us Suzaku Shichiseishi were to meet today directly after mealtime, in which we crack the case of the mysterious Juri once and for all. It was the perfect scheme, and although it didn't make us any money, I suppose it will lift some weight off our shoulders. Right now, the suspense is driving us all crazy... 

As all three of us huddled around Miaka, she carefully lifted the cover open and turned to the first page...

We gasped.

I squinted. "What's this supposed to be?" I asked in the kindest way possible.

The first page and a half were filled with symbols and words that I had never seen before. They looked like nonsensical scribbles, as far as I was concerned, or some royal code. As I looked to the other three, I could see that Hotohori and Nuriko were both stunned, but Miaka looked as if she was about to burst.

"Well, can anyone make anything of this or not?!?" I asked impatiently despite myself. 

"Um..." 

"Well..."

"THIS EXPLAINS EVERYTHING!!!" Miaka jumped, slamming the book shut...and scaring the shit out of all of us.

"This?" Hotohori asked uncertainly, glancing at the "journal". "But we can't make anything of it, Miaka. Can...you read it?" 

Nuriko's face was contorting angrily. "That was just a whole bunch of wasted ink, as far as we know! How could you think this means anything, Miaka?"

Miaka giggled. "IT'S ENGLISH!"

"It's WHAT?!?" We all burst out at the same time.

"English...well, you wouldn't know what it was around here, obviously, but..." Miaka was scratching her head, trying to come up with a valid explanation, much to our confusion. "English is something I used to study in school back in my world. It sounds different and reads differently from the language we all speak, but I remember that I used to have to do assignments on it." She opened the book and rose an eyebrow. "This girl is writing advanced English, for all I know! I can make out some of the simpler words, but some of this is just too complicated!" 

Putting the book down, Miaka snatched up her carrying case that she brought along from her world (just in case it was needed), and searched in its depths.

None of us spoke for a while.

"So...you're saying this girl is _smart_?!?" I asked dubiously.

"This girl's a GENIUS, Tamahome!" Miaka shouted over her back as she rummaged some more.

Hotohori scratched his chin. "But the question is...how come she can be so smart, while not being able to speak or ask questions? This is all very confusing..."

Nuriko's lips suddenly broadened into a smile. "I think I might know!" She exclaimed.

"What is it, then?" I asked.

"She's foreign, right?" Nuriko explained. "While she can speak this..."English" quite well, she cannot speak Japanese, even if she wanted to. This makes her mute, _no matter what!!_"

"So...what are you trying to say, Nuriko?" Hotohori questioned.

Nuriko's face was an exasperated red. "Don't you see?? Juri gestured that she was a mute, but she may not be! She doesn't understand what we say; that's quite clear, because she usually blanks out whenever we ask her a question, or speaks to her!

"Now, knowing that she doesn't understand Japanese, she realizes that she must have an excuse for not being able to speak! So naturally, she just told us that she was a mute to make an excuse for herself! Look at that book! The girl's a child phenomenon! She can write perfect "English", and can probably speak perfect "English, too! But we've been blind to that, because we never thought that SHE WAS FOREIGN!!!"

Worn and out of breath, a tomato-faced Nuriko slumped back into silence.

Hotohori and I looked at each other, amazed. "Brilliant conclusion! But then...why did she not say she also couldn't hear, to make another excuse for her lack of understanding?" The emperor wondered out loud.

I looked at him wryly. "Would you keep a girl who was both _deaf _and _mute _in your palace, Hotohori?"

"I suppose not," Hotohori thought, surprised. "We have to watch out for Juri, then! She's quite the young strategist!"

"There! Found it!" Miaka finally pulled out a small, thick book from her backpack, with both kanji and the strange English that we saw earlier on the cover. 

"What's that?" I asked her in awe. What a strange-looking book that was!

"This is an English/Japanese, Japanese/English dictionary!" Miaka beamed. "This book translates the two languages for each other! Now, don't any of you guys worry! Tonight, I'm going to sit down with this book, and I'm going to translate every single word of that Journal entry! There's a lot we need to find out about this girl, and it's about time we put our research crew into gear! Meanwhile, none of you say a thing to Juri, got that?"

We all nodded in unison. Finally, the elusive and astute little girl will reveal her secrets...

-

~Suzaku~

Phew! Now that was some pretty hard work!

Finally, I have created a software program that Jenny and the Shichiseishi will be able to use to communicate to each other! I shut Genbu's book and the laptop with a bang, and stuffed both underneath the cushions once again...

Only to see that Byakko has come back for more...

The tiger was propped up against the back of his sofa, his head so damn close to mine it was actually scary...

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing (dumbass)."

"Why are you in your human form?"

"So that I can type (dumbass)."

"You're so small in your human form; I could easily chomp off your head, you know."

"That's nice (dumbass)."

"Okay, that's it."

CRASH!!!

"There. I've wrecked your TV again. Happy?"

"Ugh..."

"Have fun!" 

The white tiger trotted away happily, leaving me to leak trails of smoke out my ears. 

Fifth time today. FIFTH TIME!!! And that was all fine and dandy with me - up till now. I've had enough.

"Unlucky bastard." I reverted to my godly form. "Now he's going to get it. OH_, **BYAKKO....**_"

-

~Jenny~

Once again, I could only stare...

At the empty crease in my bed, where my journal was supposed to be. 

When everyone else departed after dinner, it was curious enough. I didn't see the three Shichiseishi, nor Miaka, for that matter. 

It was during my meal that it hit me: Miaka could read English. She could read English in the anime, and she could read English now.

She could read my journal full of English words. She can read in English what I really think of her and her friends. She could read it out loud, and she could go off and tell everyone.

I should've known. Yet I could only stare.

My journal...was gone.

* * *

Another long, boring chapter. Oh, and by the way, remember *?

* simply means that, at this point in the story, the other Shichiseishi didn't know Nuriko was a man. Not yet. To them, he is still Lady Kourin. Which is why, when in Tama's prospective, Nuriko was still a _she._

Now that that's clarified, everyone finally realizes why Jenny's the way she is. It is in the next chapter that Suzaku puts his little html program to work in Konan. Pretty soon, the worst of Jenny's problems will be over...

...and the real story will begin.

_Revelation, _coming soon! 

-CLAMPraven 


	5. BeginningUnder Protest' Revelation

**"Juri"**

**-from girl to oracle-**

**By CLAMPraven**

* * *

~ Beginning...Under Protest ~

Part 4 of the Legend of Juri - Revelation

* * *

I have to write this, and fast! My vacation time is almost over!! Soon, I'll have to go back to school for the new year, and I won't be as consistent! So I gotta finish NOW!

As for something you have to watch out for, I'll be gone for 4 days, from **January 8-15th**. I have this little outdoor learning thing I have to get to, but DON'T STOP READING because you think I've quit! Because as soon as I get back, I promise you, I'll write some more, 'k?

Meanwhile, you know the drill. Suzaku, while plenty pissed off by Byakko's taunting him, has finished the html program needed for Jenny to communicate with the others. He wasn't going to use it right away, because as of now, his TV is (once again) fixed and he is concentrating on the real matter at hand. 

Miaka had worked furiously on translating Jenny's journal, but not completely successful. And, in the bright and...partially sunny morning, everyone has awoken, ready to hear the results...

Oh, and also as for Part 2 of the Disclaimer...which I had forgotten to put up: JENNY/JURI IS MINE! MINE I TELL U!! 

-CLAMPraven 

* * *

~Nuriko~

"Are you alright, Nuriko?" Hotohori's voice shattered my thoughts.

"Oh!" I snapped out of my daydreaming. "Yes, I'm alright, Heika. Just...a little preoccupied."

My blush was not gone. I dared not look at him. I realized that I had not touched my breakfast, and I knew Hotohori was wondering what was wrong. 

He doesn't know how I feel about him. He probably never will.

I've tried to hint! But he's blinded by his love for Miaka...who I'm slowly learning respect for as the Suzaku no Miko, as well as becoming her friend. It was a big leap for me, but Miaka's kindness can't be hated or ignored. She was really something, and no matter how jealous I become, she and I will always remain on a good level of respect. Even if it will cost me Hotohori. 

I guess I have to get used to it. What I can't get used to are those dreams I kept having of him...

_Damn you, Nuriko, get your head out of the gutter! _I'd tell myself, but...Hotohori does have a...nice body...

AAHRG!!! 

"Hey, guys...Hotohori, Nuriko..." It was then that Miaka limped to our dining table. 

_You are just so kind, Suzaku..._I closed my eyes, smiling. The little intrusion really helped clear the mess off my head. "So...how did the translation go?" I asked casually.

"TERRIBLE..." Miaka's eyes had loose bags underneath, and it was painful watching her try to stay awake. Her hairs were in tangles, her face an absolute mess...funny how Hotohori could still like this girl, when it is clearly ME who stays clean-shaven and all... 

And I couldn't help grinning...the poor thing had faint marks of ink on her cheek!

I nodded my head pityingly anyway. "I kinda figured that..." 

"But you could translate _some_ of it...?" Hotohori asked uncertainly.

"NO..." Miaka shook her head violently, knocking over a china glass and not caring. "I did do some of it late in the night...after trying to remember how the English grammar was set up...then I worked...and worked...and I realized that it was so sloppy, even I couldn't read it anymore...then I fell on my work...and this was how I found myself." She gestured to her crumpled hairdo. "I don't have ink prints on my face, do I?" She asked us, concerned.

"Uh..." Hotohori tried to speak. "Well, you see..."

Those print marks were as clear as daylight.

"No! Of course not...why would you have them? I mean...you look fine!" Even I couldn't help choking over my own words with the occasional stutter. "Well, that it to say..."

Just then, two other figures limped into our little gathering. It turned out to be none other than Tamahome and Juri.

Tamahome took one look at Miaka and burst out guffawing.

"RESTRAINT, Tamahome..." I hissed. "RESTRAINT..."

But the guy couldn't control it. After staring at him monotonously for a few seconds, Juri simply shook her head in annoyance and propped him against a wall, where he continued to howl with laughter.

"I knew it! I had print marks on my face, didn't I?" Miaka cried angrily. 

"Uh..." Hotohori stuttered.

Juri rolled her eyes, then spotted the journal that Miaka held in her hand. With a silent gasp, she snatched it away from the exhausted miko.

"Hey!" Miaka cried.

"Uh oh..." Tamahome had stopped laughing by now, focusing on the girl.

Juri flipped to her journal entry, stared at it, then stared at us. Narrowing her eyes, she glared from one to the other, stopping at Miaka herself. She silently held out her other hand, beckoning the miko to hand over the translation notes.

Miaka timidly gave Juri her scribbles from the other night, which Juri immediately flipped through, even though it was obvious she couldn't make anything of it anyway. But what really surprised the little girl was the poor quality of the notes...

Most of the information was crossed out, slashed through, or just swallowed up by gobs of ink. _It was unreadable anyway, _I thought. Miaka couldn't translate that journal entry if she tried.

Juri blinked, then seemed to understand from the look I was casting her. Her shoulders sagged and she exhaled. 

Was it relief?

-

~Jenny~

_THANKSUZAKUTHANKSUZAKUTHANKSUZAKUTHANKSUZAKU..._

Miaka's translation was gibberish! A pile of dung! Trash! Manure!

No one could read what I had written in my journal now!! Miaka could never translate it, she could never read it out loud, no one would ever know how badly I insulted the Shichiseishi, Miaka could never translate it...

I looked up from the papers, to see that everyone was staring at me, once again perplexed.

Slowly, I handed back the papers to a very puzzled miko. I would've been laughing nervously if I could...so I just scratched my head and plastered a stupid smile on my face. 

Miaka soon quit staring. Instead, she grabbed a pen and started writing down a message on the edge of the paper that was blank. Tearing off the corner of the page, she handed the note to me questioningly.

I stared at it. It was poorly done...the girl needed to improve her handwriting, no doubt about it. But I could still make out the message quite clearly:

_You speak English?_

Grabbing the pen that Miaka lent me earlier, I scribbled down a return message:

_Yes. And I know what you're all up to._

I handed the note back with a crafty smile. Understanding my message, the miko stared at me for a minute, then returned the smile with a dazzling grin, patting me on the back.

For the first time since I had come to this land, I laughed. 

I couldn't believe it. It sounded so deep, so soulful...older than the twelve years I have lived, but it was crystal clear and polished, preserved by the aching silence that set me apart for so long.

I really couldn't believe it. And for the first time since I had left home, I realized how I valued these Suzaku Shichiseishi. How I loved them like family. How I didn't mind the fact that they didn't speak English. How we can understand each other anyway.

And as they all smiled back at me, I knew the worst of my problems were finally over.

-

~Suzaku~

I had never seen anything cornier.

It was unbelievable. That kid really has some sentimental value...it didn't matter that she was only a little girl.

Well, that settles it. If that was the way she looked at it, I suppose it was really the time to put my program to work. She's suffered enough for a newcomer. 

She's scaled the first wall, her first challenge. Why trouble her more with it? It was time to give her a new voice. Something she's wanted since she's become a part of the mysterious play that we live.

I clicked on the "GO" button. 

On the battered, bruised, serially repaired TV screen, I could see Jenny being surrounded by a fiery, shimmering light. I saw the surprise on her face and on the faces of the miko and the Shichiseishi.

The transaction was beginning. And NOTHING could stop it.

"OOOOoooohh...KEWL!" Three voices chorused in unison behind me.

"TOUCH A SINGLE BUTTON, AND YOU'RE ALL GOING TO THE PITS OF HELL!!!" 

Hey, I warned them. (mental shrug)

-

~Hotohori~

The light came out of nowhere. It was like a florescent flame, lighting up Juri's form. It sparkled and blinked, danced and flared powerfully. 

"What is this...?!" I could hear Nuriko gasp beside me.

As if participating in an awaited ritual, Juri stood up, looking up to the ceiling wondrously.

Suddenly, beams of light shot from the sky, through every corner of the palace, igniting saffron and gold! 

All of the rays of the sun, fanned down to earth by outstretched wings, shot through Juri's form. Her body glowed a heavenly topaz, a gallant array of color, bright as the sunrise and crystalline like the moon. Ribbons of starlight encircled her, made her look like an angel.

Then the strangest phenomenon happened. 

Kanji from the sky! Yes, perfect kanji, all drawn by means of calligraphy...scroll-fulls of kanji flowed in a riveting pattern from the sky, all of which entering Juri's mind...

At the same time, the strange English symbols were also sailing in rivers from the sky, through the ceiling and hitting the Shichiseishi and the miko! 

By nature, I had the urge to whack them with my sword. Which is what I did.

But strangely, they didn't seem to be affected. They passed through the raised steel blade, and entered my mind...

It was so automatic, yet soothing all the while...there was no pain, and the world cracked like glass, disappearing altogether...I could barely feel a thing, only...clouds...and I only saw the words...

-

~Byakko~

"What'd you do to the girl?" I asked after seeing the flashes of light on TV die down. "And are the special effects _really necessary?"_

Chicken snorted. "Of course not. But if it's from the gods, it has to look fancy, doesn't it?" Turning chibi, he added, "Plus, well..._you know how much I love magical girl transformations..."_

Everyone facevaults.

I hoisted myself up, sweatdrops forming.... "I think those Sailormoon tapes are finally getting to you, Suzaku..."

"That's right!" Added Seiryuu, glaring at him also. "You made Miaka act like Sailormoon on purpose! You got all of your nasty androgynous ideas from those sailor senshi! And that storyline you made up!"

"Ahem..." Chicken cleared his throat loudly. "Excuse me, but who was it that got a Haruka Ten'oh impersonator to be _his miko, SEIRYUU_?"

"Shut up, all of you," Genbu broke up the fight with a firm grunt. "As if having to have hearing aids aren't enough..."

"Anyway, if you really want to know what happened to the girl," Chicken continued, "I installed that html program I was working on not long ago. It has some...very interesting effects..." 

His gaze reverted back to the screen, rubbing his hands together as if he had just thought of the world's most evil scheme.

"Although having one of them learn the other's language isn't interesting at all, I've devised a method that is much more _fun..._"

-

~Miaka~

When the smoke cleared, Juri was the first to scream.

"Oh my god...what the hell was that?!?"

Everybody stared in amazement.

"What?" She asked, as if nothing had happened.

"Juri..." Hotohori began. "You're speaking Japanese."

"No I'm not!" Juri denied with a flick of her hand. "I'm just speaking English, it's you who's - WAAAAAAHHH!!!!" The little girl nearly fell over backwards, if not for Tamahome's swift save.

After a minute of all of us blubbering nonsense, especially Juri, I decided that I couldn't take it anymore.

"STOP!!" I screamed. 

Everyone stopped. Finished with my inhaling and exhaling, I turned to an awe-struck Juri. "Juri, what's going on?" I asked calmly.

"What do you mean, what's going on?!?" Juri yelled. "You guys are speaking English!" She paused to think. "Why do you say I'm speaking Japanese?"

-

~Jenny~

"Because that's what you're speaking, Juri," Hotohori replied, still shaken. "You're speaking our language now. How did you do it?"

I stared at them. "I don't know..." Pushing away Tamahome, who at that time was still holding on to me, I paced slowly across the room. "That flash of light...it blinded me. It was so strange...all I could see at the time were letters...in kanji...do you think a spell was put on me?" I asked them. 

"That was definitely strong magic..." Nuriko scratched his head. "We were affected by the light, too. At first, it was just you, but then letters in your language started falling from the sky, too! They surrounded us, and that's all we could see." He turned to the rest of us. "Is that right, Hotohori? Tamahome? Miaka?"

Everyone else nodded. "That's how I remember it," Miaka stated confidently.

"So the Japanese kanji were only affecting me...and the English letters were only affecting you...I don't know Japanese, and you don't know English, yet here I am listening to you speak it! And you say I speak Japanese quite well!" I mused. "Do you think Suzaku did that?"

"What makes you think Suzaku was the one?" Tamahome asked incredulously.

I turned to him with what I hoped was a serious expression on my face. "Because I saw him when I came to this world, Tamahome. I know you're all skeptical about this, but...like Miaka, I entered through a book I found in my library. I also saw a portal in its pages, and was swept here because of that." 

I stared at the floor hard. "On the front page of that book, there was a watercolor painting of Suzaku. It was when the painting started moving and shifting by itself that Suzaku smiled at me. I saw it, just before the pages glowed and I was swept off..."

"I think that smile meant something," I went on. "It was a mischievous smile, but when he smiled, there was a different type of gleam in his eyes. It was like a promise that I'll be alright, that he'll be watching me. He knew I spoke another language. But so far, he has brought me to you and everything has worked out." I sighed. "Suzaku has kept his promise to me. I know he's watching me. He is the only one who can grant me this. Because I'd only ever pray to Suzaku for the right to communicate with you."

The seishi were silent for a while, as was Miaka. "You absolutely have to believe me," I was on the verge of begging. "Please Hotohori...Nuriko...Tamahome...Miaka...please understand..."

"Wait..." Miaka finally spoke up. "You...know our names. You never understood anything else we said...how did you know our names?"

I bowed my head again. "In my world..." I began, trying to figure out the best way to explain to them. "In my world, there is a book. It is filled with brilliant pictures and dialogues, just not pages full of words. That book is called 'Fushigi Yuugi'. It's a book about you, all of you...from the day that Miaka and Yui found the Universe of the Four Gods to the day that the prophecies have been fulfilled and the war between Konan and Kutou ends."

Miaka's eyes were round and widened. "A book...about me?"

"About all the Shichiseishi...and you, the miko. And even though I've never read this book for real, I do have a vague outline of what happens to every one of you in my head. It's possible that Suzaku...wants me to use this information, to guide you, to lead you all to what you have to become...your destinies. I don't see why else Suzaku would summon me here...that is the only way I can help you. I can't fight, and I'm not Confucius, but I...I know the future. I'm what you'd call an oracle..." I stopped, unable to continue.

It was ten seconds after that Nuriko broke the silence yet again. "So...Juri...you know the future. You know all of us...but we still don't know your real name!"

"Just call me Juri, Nuriko," I smiled gently. "Juri...the oracle."

* * *

Not too much humor in this one either, but I'm not upset. This is the way I had wanted it to be.

But the irony of it all, however, is the fact that Jenny thinks Suzaku is some wise, controlled, powerful god, when he's actually just another couch potato, Nintendo-playing freak...with wings. 

(Laughs...) Keep reading!

-CLAMPraven 


	6. BeginningUnder Protest' Research

**"Juri"**

**-from girl to oracle-**

**By CLAMPraven**

* * *

~ Beginning...Under Protest ~

Part 5 of the Legend of Juri - Research

* * *

Can't believe I'm back again for more...just yesterday, I finished Part 4! This story is going quicker than I thought it would...

Anyhow, there has been a confirmation: I'm going to be gone from **Jan. 8th-12th, not 8th-15th!!! **I posted it wrong on my last chapter...forgive little old me...but I am busy with a few projects, so don't expect too many updates anyway.

So as you all must know (I don't know why I bother writing this!), there has been a dramatic change in the story. As of now, Juri can, in fact, communicate with the Shichiseishi and miko, thanks to the highly-exalted Suzaku!! And although that takes a lot of the fun out of the story, you all knew that had to happen sometime! So put your hammers away and let's commence with a new beginning...

Why a new beginning, though? Heehee...you'll see...

-CLAMPraven 

* * *

~Suzaku~

So now she calls herself Juri the oracle. Everyone is happy, and the world is a better place. La la la la la...

NOT.

I started to sum up the total of Jenny's ignorance on my wing feathers, pulling out one at a time. 

Jenny doesn't know **nearly** as much as she needs to in order to guide MY Suzaku Shichiseishi!! Considering she doesn't have the manga (pluck), the anime (pluck), the dubbing nor the money it takes to buy it (pluck pluck), minus her parents' permission to buy it in the first place...(pluckpluckpluckpluckpluckpluckpluck...)

I added it all up in my head. All she really has...is the internet. That being Anime Turnpike, and all of those other pretty little fangirls with their domains.

Oh well. All the more work to make her miserable.

I pressed another button on my laptop conveniently, slouching back into my couch to watch the glorious aftereffects...

-

~Jenny~

It seemed like hours...

Hours since talking to the Shichiseishi. They were all that I expected them to be, of course. But I had to make myself a good first impression. So we chatted, and chatted, and chatted until the cows came home. And I think they took me seriously. Plus, they thought I was okay...that was good...

_"You must watch out for the four remaining Shichiseishi,"_ I remembered telling them. I couldn't tell them who the men were, but I had to give them clues!

_"Don't find Chichiri, for one,"_ I had said, _"he'll find you. So that's settled. Next is Tasuki, who is a bandit up in the mountains. Naturally he is alive and well, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. _(I was referring to Genrou's future lie to them, that Tasuki was dead.)_ Then there's Mitsukake. He's a healer in a small village. At first he may refuse to be of help, but remember the name Shoka...it'll help you. And then there's Chiriko...he's young, but he's smarter than all of us put together when his symbol shines. You don't have to worry about him. He'll also find his way to you, a bit later than the other seishi..." _

With those words, the first of my missions is complete.

Now as I lie in bed, I wonder what it would be like to return home.

Sure, Miaka and the others were kind and supportive of me. But it's been a few days already. I don't know how fast FY time passes in my world...it's not the same as Miaka's world, because although she also lives on Earth, my guess is that it's a separate dimension from mine, where everyone looks like they've popped out of a freshly-printed Watase Yuu comic book.

I wish things were like that in my world. All of the rabid fangirls would grab a bishounen and that would be the end of it.

Even if it means giving up all of my good anime looks here, and perhaps not returning for a long time, I knew I had to do something...to go back home...

I miss home...

(thud)

Surprised, I sat up. What was that sound?

I looked to the foot of my bed. There, by my slippers, was the same accursed book that brought me here, flipped open to a page, beckoning me to go back.

I grinned softly. "So...this is how it works, is it?" I murmured. 

The book blared its red light; I automatically looked away. I took it as a warning.

"Damn book!!" I screamed, then calmed down. "Fine...fine! I'll go! I'll go!" 

I couldn't help looking to the doorway longingly though, just for a second. "Just...let me tell my friends..." I turned to the book, almost forlorn. "I'm sure they'd like to know that I've gone, and not kidnapped by the Seiryuu or something..." Everyone deserved to know...

Another huge flash. 

"Oh, hellfire..." I grunted at it. "If you're gonna be persistent..." 

The portal shot out in a brilliant tempest, and I was swallowed inside once again, falling unconscious to the flame that was Suzaku...

-

I blinked...

The little kids blinked...

...then screamed for their parents.

I was back in the public library, just where I left off!

The book was right in front of me, closed to the front cover once again. Holding it in my tight grasp, I looked around cautiously. Same people. Same shelves. Same library. Nothing changed since I left.

I sighed in generous relief...then gave another yelp of surprise as I heard a voice in my head.

_It's not over yet, Jenny. _

What the hell...?!?

_I said, IT'S NOT OVER YET! Guess who._

My mind was frozen in thought for a second. I blinked for what seemed like the fifth time in the last ten seconds, then narrowed my eyes in an angry conclusion. Suzaku.

_That's right, Jenny. Suzaku, the god, the legend, the mystery. Yadda yadda yadda. Now, listen up. _

What the hell are you doing here, damn it?!? I screamed mentally.

_What'd you think? To give you your new mission! Now pay attention. _

I half-listened. Yawn, yawn, no interest, thank you.

_It has come to my attention that you are not nearly smart enough to guide the Suzaku Shichiseishi the way they are supposed to be guided! _Suzaku continued anyway. _So here's what you're going to do. I'm giving you **40 minutes, **40 minutes until I want you to return to the book! In that time, you must use one of the computers in the library to research what you can about the Suzaku Shichiseishi: their tasks, their mission, their destinies. Once you are done, I will reopen the portal, and you will enter once again. But it will be another story in the book by the time you do! So prepare yourself for the worst. Got that?_

Oh! I'm sorry, Suzaku...did you say something?

_(Exasperated sigh) I SAID, It has come to my attention that-_

Psyche. I gave him my most irritating mental laugh. Just kidding, Suzaku. I heard ya the first time.

_Ugh..._

But tell me this... I continued heatedly, Why can't I go **home** and research? In 40 minutes, I could arrive home and use my own internet; no one would see that "oh so pretty" flash of light if I return home to do my research-

_Jenny._

Yeah? What?!?

_Look at the spine of the book._

I flipped the book to one side, and stared at the spine. 

There, at the base of the spine, was the library code. Beside it was a small white tag, taped on tightly although the tape was peeling off. **For use in Library Only, **it said.

I raised an eyebrow, confused...and furious. What kind of a sick joke was this?!?

-

I had been logging on the computer for over half an hour now, reading every little piece of information I could find on the Universe of the Four Gods. Upon viewing SOME screenshots, however, I think the little kids watching me got scared...

And it was true. You don't talk about Fushigi Yuugi up here in Toronto much...or not at all. I just happened to be innocently stumbling upon a Nuriko shrine one day when I started reading up on it. No wonder my knowledge didn't meet Suzaku's expectations. I'm not a crazy fangirl like the rest of them, who went broke just buying the anime, the manga, along with Chichiri posters and Tasuki dolls to fill their rooms with. 

At this point, I couldn't help but sigh. 

If you wanted a real oracle, you could've gotten one of those fangirls easily... I told Suzaku matter-of-factly.

_You're kidding, right?_

No...why? I asked. Any of _them_ would kill just to come with you.

_Jenny, Jenny, Jenny...(sighs) Do you not see the dangers of bringing fangirls to Konan?_

What'd you mean?

_I mean, they'll ogle and torture and do...um...nasty things...to my Shichiseishi!_

I rolled my eyes despite myself. Suzaku, I'm not a baby. Don't you think that upon entering junior high, you can survive without knowing these things? The proper term is INTERCOURSE...that's part of the basics! I scratched my chin. But you do have a point...Miaka and the others would have a _hard _time dealing with the likes of them. 

_Yes they would, _Suzaku agreed readily.

The fangirls can't distinguish anime from reality, I went on while constantly typing and clicking, So naturally, they _preach_ the art of hentai! They'd have their collars and leashes in one hand, and a pitchfork or two in the other! The likes of Nuriko, Chichiri, Tasuki...will probably have a hard time. They'll also be holding up signs that say, "To Hell With Miaka!" and they'll be burning posters of her while they gather up their mobs. Hm...Mitsukake and Chiriko will probably get off without a scratch, I think...unless there are some real sentimental ones out there...

_Now you definitely get it...so, you done your research?_

"What?!?" I screeched out loud. A couple of the little kids staring at CERTAIN screenshots behind me jumped back in stunned surprise. Calming down, I regained my telepathically challenging conversation. What do you mean, "you done your research?!?" Oh...don't tell me that my time's up ALREADY...!!! 

By now, I had already hopped out of my chair and was skimming over the library grounds frantically. How am I supposed to-

_Here we go...again... _The book glowed...again...

Uh oh...

I tried to scream telepathically; what came out was a real scream that firmly scared off all of my fairly perverted, very amused child spectators.

"Damn it Suzaku, not in front of people...AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!!!!" 

-

~Suzaku~

"Poor thing..." I heard Byakko murmur. "How could you do that...? You meanie...!!!"

I could only laugh evilly.

"This is going to be so _fun..._MUAHA (cough) HA (coughcoughcough) HAHACK!! TYLERNOL!! ACK..." I collapsed with the sheer effort of it all...

Byakko's freakishly huge snout loomed over my head as he rummaged under the couch cushions for the emergency aid suitcase. It reminded me of a reenactment of the Big Comfy Couch, which only made me more dizzy...ugh...

"You know..." he commented softly as he handed me the medicine, "You really shouldn't concentrate on trying to be the next Doctor Evil..." 

"Oh, it's instinctive, trust me..." I swallowed the pill without water, waiting for the aftereffects quietly...

Out of the corner of my eye, I could've sworn I saw Byakko playing with the remote...!

Oh well...

-

~Jenny~

I glared around me with bulging red eyes.

There were mountains in the distance...massive snowy mountains that loomed over the blankets of whiteness, towering over the mass array of tall, magnificent trees. Pure, sparkling snow covered the ground everywhere, disguising the jagged rocks and cliffs. Glaciers hung on invisible crevices, as a thick fog releases itself over the bitterly bright sky.

It was a minute later that I realized, with further examination, that I was on a slight slant myself.

And a moment after that was when the shock of the cold finally hit me.

I inhaled it.

"OH **SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!!!!!!!"**

Shitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshit....the sound of my voice echoed through the valleys.

Now what?!?

-

~Chichiri~

"OH **SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!!!!!!!"**

The shrill, piercing scream echoed repeatedly, shaking me and nearly throwing my horse off balance. 

Tasuki...wasn't as lucky. "What the hell was THAT?!?" The fiery-haired bandit screamed right back, pulling himself -and his horse - back on their feet. 

"Sounds like a girl," Mitsukake commented, upon replaying the sound over in his head. After waiting a few seconds, the giant healer got back on his feet and nodded, having focused intensely. 

"It must be..." He finally confirmed.

"Not some little mountain troll?" Tasuki was doubtful. "I think my ears are bleedin'..."

I shook my head. After getting to know Tasuki up close and personal, you learn to forgive him for his exaggerating...just a little. "Whatever it is, we have to investigate it, no da." With my staff bathed in the golden glare of the sun, I pointed to the northernmost hill. "It came from there, no da. Let's hurry."

Mitsukake narrowed his eyes to focus in the intense light. "Isn't that...Mt. Black?"

* * *

So, what do you think of _this?!?_

I know, I know, I know and I know. All that was done in this chapter was research work...with a little comic relief. But aren't you dying to see what happens next?

...um...aren't you?

-CLAMPraven 


	7. Conforming to Entitled Duties' Rendezvo...

**"Juri"**

**-from girl to oracle-**

**By CLAMPraven**

* * *

~ Conforming to Entitled Duties ~

Part 6 of the Legend of Juri - Rendezvous

* * *

Write, write, WRITE!!!

I can't believe how fast I am. Although there is still a lack of reviews (that's an understatement)...I will continue to write this story. Also, I have decided that, considering there are people who like it at all, I'm a lot better off than I thought I'd be. 

Very few people like to read about OC's (original characters...); I certainly know I don't. But the main reason why people don't like to read OC stories is because the author:

1. Almost** always **makes them girly sophomores. Now, where have you heard that before?

2. Almost **always **makes them hopeless romantics. Oh, she comes into the world...she falls in love with the most gorgeous bishounen on the show...(Tasuki-chan's getting nervous now...)he would do anything for her...(spits). Lekka shinen! Give me a f*cking break...

3. Almost **always **makes them near-perfect and give them the gift of irresistibility. They can never be **too **attractive...

4. Almost **always **makes them powerful. Naturally, since they _are _VIP's to the story line, giving them ridiculously strong attacks that they can show off is never a problem.

Now, sure, Jenny's a girl. But as mentioned before, she is a child. **She is 12**, for those of you who don't bother reading between the lines. Hopeless romantic? Please! Near-perfect? She's lucky she doesn't have pimples! And powerful...don't even talk about it...if Jenny had a tessen, she'd burn herself before anyone else. All she has is her luck and her wits, to tell you the truth. So consider yourself fortunate that you have found such a modest, truthful, realistic OC that can make you laugh just the same.

With that said, let's continue. As you know, Jenny is standing in the frozen mountain known to us mostly as Mt. Black. But what are Tasuki, Chichiri, and Mitsukake doing, riding so close to that area? Aren't they supposed to be elsewhere? In the anime, Nuriko goes to fetch the first Shinzaho alone. So what's really going on?

Let's see, shall we?

-CLAMPraven 

* * *

~Jenny~

"Damn you, Suzaku...!!!" I hissed in the blistering cold, arms wrapped around my turtleneck. In Toronto, it was moderate winter...hell, it wasn't even snowing yet! Sure, I had a jacket on, but it was all I've got!! 

Even with the wind chill factor, it was only 2 degrees Celsius back home...

"If I wasn't so damn sure that you did this on purpose, I wouldn't be cursing you...you know that...!!" Hopping out and around, I tried to keep warm. Instead, all I managed to do was make roundabout tracks in the snow and look like a beggar in desperate need to go to the toilet seat. My face contorted as I grumbled, nearly slipping in the wet gunk.

I was pretty damn sure Suzaku was laughing at me...

Suddenly, I heard footsteps...loud footsteps coming closer!

Hope rose within me. I concentrated on the sound.

No, wait...more like the pounding of hooves! I told myself, eagerly awaiting the thundering rumble in the not so far distance. Horses...but whose? Could it be help?

The approaching sound kept reaching its climax as they raced across the blinding white terrain...three beautiful horses with clashing hooves scaling the southern hill finally met my eyes. Three men were riding them...

As they came closer, I began to recognize them...the headband and sharp, jet black hair...the jutting, not to mention gravity-defying blue bangs, visible even underneath the straw hat encasing it...and, of course, the classic, fierce bonfire of the redhead...

I couldn't help but flash a dazzling smile. Suzaku...you came through for me...

"TASUKI!!! CHICHIRI!!! MITSUKAKE!!!" Jumping up and down furiously, I waved my arms like a madman. "SUZAKU SHICHISEISHI!!!!"

-

~Tasuki~

I damn nearly fell off my horse again. "Who the hell...?!? That girl knows our names!!" I screamed.

It was pretty clear we all slowed down a bit in the shock. The midget girl just kept jumping up and down and screeching out our names. Nevertheless, Chichiri and Mits drove their horses into a rapid run...once again...

But I was doubtful. "Who the hell is this girl?!?" I yelled again as I caught up to them.

"If I'm not mistaken..." Chichiri had an angry kind of thoughtful expression on his face. It was one of those times when you really should think twice about interrupting him. "If I'm not mistaken...that girl must be the Oracle Juri that Miaka told us about, no da!" He hastened his horse even more.

Mits nodded. "We don't tell just any little girl about our identities...but look at this one. She's even got a strange accent to her voice, like she's not from here. And take a close examination at what she's wearing. She must be from Miaka's world..." He hurried his horse as well.

I was clueless. "Who the hell is Juri?"

"Tasuki...!!!" Chichiri was getting _very _frustrated now, even as he drove his steed onwards. "Didn't you listen to anything our miko's been saying for the past weeks, no da?!?"

I scratched my head with one hand while hanging on to the reins with another, like the skilled rider that I was. "Not really..." I had to admit. 

Miaka talked about a lot of things...some of which were really irrelevant, like desserts and stuff. I'd listen to her when she's talking about sake in her world, but that's about it. So naturally, if she had talked about some little girl, I would be the last man interested...

Chichiri was _so_ red...which automatically told me that I was so, _SO_ dead...

"TASUKI NO DA...!!!"

Mits only sighed. "Come on...break it up. First impressions are important...you'll scare the girl."

I smirked. Talk about your average stupid comment, "Damn right. Like she can't recognize a bandit when she sees one." 

Chichiri shook his head. "We may look like oddballs to her, and we may even scare her, but we are still Suzaku Shichiseishi, no da. Never forget that." His expression softened as we slowed down, approaching. "And if anything, she probably knows more about us than we care to tell, na no da, " he pointed out in a deeper tone of voice. "Miaka said so."

"Whatever..." 

Who could blame me? I just _wasn't interested! _Like I gave a damn about some little girl... Typically, my gang of Mt. Leikaku bandits would either kill them or, if they are voluptuous enough...we have a little fun with them before killing them. Little girls are of no real value to us. 

Now, of course, Miaka was an exception. Not only was she aggressive, but after all, she has that Suzaku no Miko thing going for her. So I had to spare her. What else could I do?

But this girl?!? I gotta think twice...not only is she weak, but she's also a child...she isn't a miko, hasn't got a single sign on her body that anyone knows about, and is probably just pretending to know our future. We have no proof...but hell, we have to take her in anyway, 'cause she's managed to charm the first 3 seishi. What's wrong with this picture?

The little kid named Juri stopped jumping up and down when we finally closed up the remaining distance. Trampling through the thick snow, she made her way towards us.

"Shichiseishi..." The girl was completely out of breath from the screaming. She latched her arm onto the neck of Mitsukake's horse and tried to regain her breath.

"Are you Juri the oracle, no da?" Chichiri asked her hesitantly after she could breath properly again. 

The girl stared at him. "Miaka told you about me?" She turned to face the blue-haired monk. "I remember...you weren't here the first time I came to this world, were you? That was when Miaka first arrived, and hardly anyone knew what was going on. It only made matters worse that I had to drop in at around the same time. But she's doing fine now, I'm guessing?"

"...Hai, no da..." Chichiri's eyes widened at how professional this girl sounded. In a way, I guess mine did, too...

"That's good..." Juri smiled kindly. "It's been a few months since I've first left. I didn't tell anyone because I didn't have time to...the portal waits on no one. I'm surprised Miaka was still waiting for my return...I would've thought everyone had given up on me by now. I know I wouldn't wait that long. But I trust that she'll explain everything once I get to see her again." 

She closed her eyes peacefully. "It's good to be back...except for the fact that I'm going to get frostbite if I stay out here one...more...SECOND!!" 

Snapping out of her trance, she began hopping around again furiously. "Damn...this...freezing...TEMP...!!! Damn...damn...DAMN!!"

Mits and Chichiri were both staring at her with raised eyebrows. I couldn't help but laugh, however. 

If she didn't freak out, I would've never known whether it was just another Seiryuu Seishi in disguise. Even underneath that fancy vocabulary...she's still a kid. That's something no one can help.

At the time, she could only remind me of Chiriko. A girl Chiriko, who swears when she screams and bounces around a lot. But Chiriko nonetheless.

"So..." I grinned, fully fanged. "You gonna come with us or not? Seems like you're more interested in making tracks in the snow..."

Juri automatically stopped dead in the middle of a leap and turned towards me, with a glare that could've broken bones. But not bandit bones. 

"Tasuki. Don't even joke. You leave me out here to be eaten by the wolves," she threatened menacingly, "and I'm gonna sue your sorry-"

"You don't want to do that, no da...he has a tessen, no da..." Chichiri interrupted, fidgeting nervously at our play fighting and wanting it to stop. So typical of him...

"I know about the tessen. Calm down, Mom." Was Juri's reply.

"...wow..." Mits was speechless.

"Kick-ass, girl...!!" was all I could manage. 

"I thought you were professional and mature, Juri no da..." The monk looked as if he could collapse in agony any second, although he tried to hide it.

Juri giggled, fully aware of Chichiri's sentiment. "First impressions...are just first impressions." Relaxed and more than cool, she hoisted her midget self up onto Mits's horse...with a little help from the giant. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's head to your little campsite!"

With that, we set off, leaving me with the stunned realization that Juri...is not who she appears to be. 

At all. 

Not only does she swear like me, bitch slaps Chichiri around like me...but she's also kinda cute for a kid!

I could get used to **this**...

-

~Jenny~

I sat in front of Mitsukake on the horse. There were no extra riding equipment, so I was forced to hang on to the horse's neck for dear life. But with Mits's mammoth chest looming above me, and a huge, muscular arm on each side, it was not likely for me to fall...

My face was pressed into the stallion's mane. I think it was a stallion, at least. I never did know much about horses. And though I rode them before, back when I was about eight...I never did get used to their smells, nor their enormous sizes, just magnifying what it would be like to fall off. Yes, I suppose I was a bit scared of them. 

And considering that this particular horse had to be big enough for _Mitsukake _to ride on...

I thought I was going to be sick. 

We were flying above the ground at lightning speed, and the stallion was as big as an elephant!! Its shadow alone carpeted over both Chichiri and Tasuki, with enough room left for Miaka's appetite and Hotohori's ego to squeeze into!!!

Shame on you, Suzaku..._shame..._ I thought cruelly. Absolute _shame_...!!!

"Are you alright, Juri?" I heard Mitsukake's echoing voice of concern directly above my head. "You do look a bit green..."

Mitsukake's a doctor, damn it! I thought to myself and swallowed up my puking instinct. Don't want _HIM, _of all people, to get concerned... 

"No...prob...lem..." I managed to squeak out through bumpy terrain. "Nothing to (gulp!) worry...about..."

"If you're sure..." 

Mitsukake was silent for a while, then spoke up again. "Juri..."

"Hm?" I looked up to meet...his nose...then stuffed my face back into the horse's mane.

I could almost sense him frown. "How much _do_ you know, Juri? They say you're an oracle...do you know everything about us, Juri? Just to be certain, of course..."

I relaxed my eyes into a comfortable gaze into the horizon, over the stallion's head. Its soft hairs brushed against my neck delicately in the wind; I smiled.

"I don't know everything about you..." I said, after a long pause, "...but then again, no one does. I do know all I need to know about every one of you to help you through these harsh times. I know...your pasts, your present conditions, and your future...mostly. I know that most of you have been traumatized before joining Miaka's soldiers. Furthermore, I know why." 

My stare became a sad one. "There's nothing to hide from me, Mitsukake. I know why Tasuki hates women and why Hotohori is lonely. I know that Chichiri's wearing a mask, and I know how he got it. Yes...I even know that Nuriko is a man...he can try to deny it, but that's all a bunch of crap. I know nearly everything about the Seiryuu seishi as well, and the fact is...they have reasons to being as evil as they are. Most of it is misunderstanding..." 

Nearby, Tasuki's widened eyes shifted to me as he bared his teeth in what seemed to be silent anger. Chichiri, never flinching, could only bow his head in and look away in guilt. 

I didn't stare the truth into them...I actually turned away as well, for fear that I've said too much. 

I knew I shouldn't be making the past torment them even more...it just seemed like such a shame that they all live in fear's shadow from the lives they once lived. What mattered was now...but how could I help them if they're too scared to confide in me? I had to make them stand up to the past...had to throw it in their faces and make them see it didn't affect the beautiful, noble people that they have become. I just don't know how...!!

It didn't take me long to realize Mitsukake's breath was coming out in short releases. 

"Shoka..." He breathed, almost sobbing.

I closed my eyes, once again, searching for the gentle healer's hand. I found it, and squeezed it tightly as I felt his sadness creeping into my naive heart. "I know, Mitsukake...I know..."

With the comfort of Mitsukake's hand in mine, we rode off into the frozen dream...

-

~Byakko~

"Oh my god...that was so sad..." I sniffed as I felt my way into another pile of tissues, using them as quickly as I stuffed them in my face. That Juri girl can be so emotional sometimes it hurts...especially for me... (snuff) Oh, the romance of it all...! 

God I need more Kleenex...

Through the piles of tear and snot-covered papers, I managed to excavate Chicken's remote. It was a bit sticky with gunk, but I didn't mind. I scanned through the buttons.

"Hmm...look at all these (sniff) buttons! (Wipe wipe) Let's see...there's a 'shut Miaka up' button...a 'drunk Tasuki' button, (hic') a 'kill Chiriko' button, a 'kill Mits button...wow. There's one for every senshi...except Tamahome, of course. Where's the fun in that? Well..." I looked to the bottom of the remote control. "Oh! 'Yaoi porn' and 'yuri porn' buttons!"

A pause. 

"Yaoi and yuri?!?" I said in disbelief. "Funny...he never uses _those..._"

"Pfft!"

"UH OH..." I stared at my now shaking mountain of Kleenex. From the depth of the white (well, not quite) tissues rose the red (well, not quite either) phoenix-like bird...with a *very* disgruntled look on his face.

The steam rising from his skull could easily barbecue beef steak. "BYAKKO..." He hissed.

I backed off instantly. "I can explain!" I stammered. I wish I could.

"YOU ABSOLUTE BASTARD!!!!" He snatched the remote from me, only to be more sickened than he already was. "Damn you, Byakko..." he stared at the remote - and himself - utterly enraged. 

"How...the...HELL...do you get this much snot from your nose, Byakko?!?" He demanded after much hassle from getting out of the gooey tissue mess. "What a freak of nature..."

"I was just looking at the remote," I defended myself with an innocent, kittenish pout...which clearly did not work. 

So instead, I skipped right down to my question. "Why did you install the yaoi and yuri buttons if you're never going to use them, Chicken?" I asked curiously.

Having recovered swiftly, Chicken plopped himself down on the couch once again (_away_ from the tissues...) and scoffed at me. "Are you kidding?!?" He nearly laughed out loud. "You have no idea how much off-screen ingenuity goes on, do you? I just watch these two options when the camera doesn't roll, then I simply edit and cut them out afterwards so that the weak-minded, as you undoubtedly are, don't have to get scared of it."

I sighed. "You...like the stuff?"

"The yuri's good...the yaoi is okay..." Chicken admitted.

"HOLD ON - what do you mean, the yaoi is okay?!?" I couldn't believe it. "B-but, you're a **guy**, Suzaku!!!"

"I'm not a _guy_..." Suzaku stared at me sideways peculiarly. "I'm a _god_. Just because I can look like a human doesn't mean I have the same interests." He shrugged, as if it were no big deal. "I don't have a problem with it, really."

I was taken aback...

...and **very** disturbed.

-

~Jenny~

"JURI!!" Miaka instantly bounded up to me and leaped forward, choking me in her bear hug. "JURI JURI JURI!!! I missed you!!!"

"Miaka...(gasp)letgo!!!"

"Oh?" The bishoujo stepped back, giving me air. "Oh! I'm sorry, Juri-chan...are you okay?" There was a hint of laughter in her overjoyed voice as she faced me, smiling from ear to ear. 

I coughed and straightened to get a better look at her. Girl hasn't changed a bit. After a pause, I spoke. "I know it's been a long time, and I miss you, too, but please, PLEASE, for your sake and mine, don't choke me now!" Then, in a quieter voice, "_I'mtooyoungtodie..."_

Miaka giggled. "You're such a joker, Juri-chan!" She lowered herself to meet my height. "I always knew you would come back, girl! Where've you been?" Wrapping her arms around me, she enveloped me in a much softer hug. "We missed you so much...it's been months, Juri-chan!"

"I realize that, and I'm sorry..." I fidgeted. "I would've said goodbye to all of you and told you where I'm going, but the portal couldn't wait...I'm really, really sorry. I know you guys must've worried about me..." I couldn't help but look away.

But Miaka only smiled again, and let go to stare me in the eye. "That's okay...I always knew you'd come back. You said you'd guide us, and I believed you. You're a cute kid, and a great friend; how could we ever loose faith in you?"

I chuckled uncertainly. "I suppose..."

Footsteps protruded my ears, and I turned in its direction to see that Chiriko was walking towards me. His hair was shining in the radiance of the sunlight, his eyes glittering like diamonds. Although he was older than me by a year, his height did not reach mine yet. 

Holding a book in his hands, he looked at me. "Are you Juri?" He asked nervously.

I nodded. "Yes, Chiriko. I'm the one you're looking for. What can I do for you?"

Chiriko blushed in embarrassment, but my gentleness only reassured him. "You really are the girl Miaka's been talking about all this time..." He looked so awed... "She always told me how smart you were, and how you managed to bond with everyone even when you couldn't speak the same language. She told me Suzaku blessed you, and you could tell the future..." He turned redder. "I've been waiting a long time to meet you in person, Juri-san..."

In return, I hugged him. I could feel him flinch multiple times. 

"Hm..." I murmured. "You really have nothing to be worried about, Chiriko-chan." Letting him go, I could see now that he was a bursting crimson. "I'm not much older than you, and not much smarter, either. And besides, you're cuter than I'll ever be."

"I-I-I..." Chiriko couldn't speak, only stuttered.

"He likes you," Miaka whispered playfully. "He told me so."

"Hm..." I murmured again. "He really doesn't know what he said. Trust me. It'll wear off. Say, Chiriko, what's that book you're holding?" I pointed to the book that the young Shichiseishi clutched in his arms.

Chiriko managed to regain his voice. "It's your journal, Juri-san...don't you recognize it?" He held it out for me to see. I flipped the cover away to see the first journal entry I've ever made in the FY world...

"I kept it for you," Miaka explained, "because I always knew you'd come back and use it again..."

I ran my finger over the page. "Thank you, Miaka...-chan." Words couldn't describe how grateful I was. Now that I look at that journal entry again, it seemed so childish, so inexperienced. But now that I got back, it was the only proof of me ever having been here...and proof also of how much I have grown, in the past hour or so of my life.

"So, you guys bondin' all right?" Tasuki bounded over to us.

"Absolutely," Miaka smiled proudly. "Little Juri-chan remembers everything. She can really come in handy now."

"Oy, what's going on out there?" A loud voice bellowed from inside. 

As the figure stepped out, the voice proved to belong to a rather masculine Nuriko. 

At first, he only stared at me. Then the full realization of the sight hit him. **"JURI?!?" **He yelled. "I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!!! YOU'RE BACK!!" 

"Uh oh..." I thought out loud. "You're not going to hug me, are you?!? Nuriko?!? **NURIKO!!!**"

* * *

One can only guess what happens to Jenny next. So tell me...what do you think of this new development?

**Don't expect that many chapters in the following days...I'm not going to update for a considerable while, but know that I'll update when I come back immediately, so don't give up on old CLAMPraven just yet!**

-CLAMPraven 


	8. Conforming to Entitled Duties' Warmth

**"Juri"**

**-from girl to oracle-**

**By CLAMPraven**

* * *

~ Conforming to Entitled Duties ~

Part 7 of the Legend of Juri - Warmth

* * *

I'm back!!!!!! Did ya miss me?!? I told you once, and I'll tell you again! I went to the outdoor science center this week with my whole grade, so please do give me a break...I'm trying my hardest to update on this story, because I know you guys have tried your hardest to review it. 

All the best to all of the reviewers, and **thanks again!**

Now, where were we? The camp councilors brainwashed me, I think...

Oh, yes. Juri being crushed by the almighty vice grip of Nuriko. This ought to be..._interesting..._

-CLAMPraven 

* * *

~Jenny~

"...and that's where I've been this whole time," I concluded to my astounded audience. They were all Shichiseishi, after all, so seeing any manner of surprise on their faces was really something for me.

Chiriko eyes were huge. "That's incredible!" he gasped.

I smiled. "Yes, it was." I had a feeling the small boy was trying to impress me. It was...strangely cute.

"Yes..." Tamahome was staring at me keenly. "You say that Suzaku really came to you, even though you were back in your world?"

"That's right," I confirmed, nodding my head. "I heard his voice in my head. I'm pretty sure it was Suzaku; at least, that's who he said he was. Deep, dramatic, effectively echoing voice...yep, I'd say that was him, for sure. He told me what to do, and he sent me back into this world just in time, like he said he would. That's all the proof I need."

The whole group was around the same table, and of course, all of their attention was focused on me, especially after all that I have told them about my 40 minutes of researching frenzy. Just the fact that Suzaku came to me made them anxious to the max. 

I dared not tell them what Suzaku was like, though...

Suzaku might have been a respected god, but he gave no respect in return. I suppose I shouldn't have expected him to. Even gods have to cuss and swear sometimes. He wasn't exactly friendly to me, at least. But it was comforting, knowing that the shining bird watching over Konan was a lot like a human being. Not what you'd call perfect...

My thoughts were interrupted by the howling of a wolf outside our small wooden camp.

Nuriko heard it, too. 

"Listen to that..." he closed his eyes peacefully, indulging in the sound. "The wolves sound so soulful tonight. And sad...that kind of sound can really swallow you up," he commented with a grin.

A wolf... Thoughts raced through my head at Nuriko's beautiful voice. Swallow you...up...?

A wolf...Ashitaire...!!!!

I froze, horrible images flooding my head. Ashitaire...?...oh, Suzaku...!!

Ashitaire!!!! Nuriko...!! 

"Oh...oh, no..." I whispered fearfully, closing my eyes to shut it out. 

"Juri-chan?" Miaka's hesitant voice crept into my senses. 

NO!!! NURIKO!! NURIKO!!!!.....don't die! NURIKO!!!

Sounds...sounds...!!

Nuriko...hang on...don't die...don't die on me...!!

(bang!)

(crash!)

"Juri-chan? Juri, what's wrong with you?!?" 

I blinked, opening my eyes. Chichiri was now beside me, holding me from my fall. Nearby, the stool I sat on was bashed against the wall, fallen and crooked. Beads of sweat were formed on my forehead, and I struggled to rise up with Miaka's aid on my left. 

Nuriko was quickly by my side as well. "Juri...?" She asked hesitantly. "Are you...alright? You fell..."

Nuriko...Nuriko...why Nuriko?

Suzaku...I don't want him to die...

Can't you spare him?!? Isn't there any other way? Ashitaire can't be far away...he's out to get Nuriko...

Suzaku-sama...

I shook my head. "I'll be okay..." I lied, not daring to look at Nuriko's face.

How could I look into a face that had so little time on earth? How could I look into a face that was about to die? How could I get the nerve to say it? Nuriko couldn't live...he was going to die through trying to retrieve the shinzaho...how could I live knowing he was going to die on me?

I couldn't bear to think it. Nuriko was going to die through climbing Mt. Black...through fighting with Ashitaire...through bleeding and struggling...and everyone's tears will fall...like water, like rivers...

How could I look into the face of a loved one? Nuriko...

"Juri?" The purple-haired Shichiseishi asked again.

"I have to go..." I hastily left the room, tripping as I went...

Away from the awed faces at the table...away from Nuriko's beautiful image...

-

"I have to take a walk..." 

"It's awfully cold outside tonight, Juri no da..."

"I'm sorry...I can't stay. I have to take a walk...right now..." 

I sped past Chichiri and his worried glances through his fake face, past Chiriko reading at the small table, past Miaka with her hair down and wet from washing...past a concerned Nuriko...

Not NURIKO!!! NO! My mind was screaming, but I let go, brushed past him and pushed my feelings aside. 

I hurt so much more than I showed, I couldn't help but think...

I wish I can confide in someone...anyone!!!

I slammed the door behind me.

There, standing in the middle of the patches of snow and ice, reflecting the starlight, was Tasuki.

He flashed his tessen meaningfully. "Juri, just what the hell is wrong with you?" The fiery-haired Shichiseishi walked up to me, his full six feet shunning my small form, his fangs glaring in the moonbeams.

Tasuki... I was stunned. Is this a sign, Suzaku...? Do you want me to confide...in Tasuki?

_Bingo._

If you trick me, I will SO find a way to kick your feathered ass... 

_RIGHT..._

I'm really swearing too much... I shook my head lightly and looked the bandit straight in the eye. "Tasuki..." I struggled to find the right words...

Instead, he held up his hand to stop me, to my surprise. 

"You wanna walk?"

-

~Suzaku~

Damn, this is going well...

"You can't play matchmaker with the two of them," was Seiryuu's response to the TV.

I turned around to stare him down. "What the hell are _you _doing here?"

Seiryuu raised an eyebrow. "It's not just _your _territory, is it, Suzaku?" The blue snake writhed his way to my couch, just to have me push him off with my tail.

"It **is **my territory, Seiryuu," I stated firmly.

"No, it's not," the snake countered.

I couldn't help but chuckle. "Listen, Seiryuu..." I started again, gentler this time, "you really don't know what you're saying. See, I bought this couch from the-"

"I don't care where you bought it from," Seiryuu interrupted. "You didn't mark your territory. Therefore, it is not yours." He wriggled his lean form onto the sofa again, even rubbing his scaly face against the cushions this time.

I turned red with anger. "That's how Byakko marks his territory. If I bought this couch, why would I piss on it? Logic, Seiryuu, logic!" 

"I have logic," The dragon was really persistent. "You, on the other hand, are about to lose both your territory and a prized soldier, _Nuriko..._"

I turned even redder. 

Who was he to remind me? We had made a bargain, Seiryuu and I, before the war started. We had decided who was going to die, and who was going to live. I won my poker game with him; therefore, I got to use _his_ energy to grant_ my_ Miko the three wishes I promised. But this meant that he could decide who was to die from my side through a random draw.

Actually, it wasn't so random...he wanted to keep Chichiri alive, 'for personal reasons', says he. I don't even want to know. But in truth, I think he's partial to the scar. But anyhow...

He wanted Nuriko to die first, because he thought Nuri-kun was a gay crossdresser. Which he was. But that was no reason to kill him off! 

On the other hand, I chose for Nuriko to kill Ashitaire, just because he could. And on the other hand, Ashitaire was really just a huge, sick puppy dog in need to go to hell. It's the only place where he could fit in, after all, and I think he would like it there...

"Whatever," was my answer. 

I turned back to the television screen, where Jenny and Tasuki are wandering in the snowy trails...

-

~Jenny~

Tasuki and I had been traveling for a while now, neither of us saying anything. 

It was weird...Tasuki was about the most talkative guy in this world, and yet he's giving me silence. It was unusual; normally, silence would calm me, coax me, make me think better...but this was not like Tasuki, so I couldn't focus anyhow. 

I didn't think a Mt. Leikaku bandit was capable of this.

Apparently, I was wrong...

...so I spoke.

"Tasuki..." I started nervously...

What was he going to think? Tasuki cried the most when Nuriko died! It said so in the anime! And here I am, trying to tell him before anyone else that Nuriko is going to die! How stupid was this? And ironic...!!

But I didn't have time to think.

"You ready to talk now?" The redhead asked softly.

I nodded. "Well...see...Tasuki...um..."

Just go with it!!! My mind screamed.

**"Someone's going to die!"** I blurted out.

Immediately after, I felt the pain of stupidity as Tasuki stared back at me with wide, very shocked eyes.

What are you thinking, baka?!? My mind yelled at me again.

"I ate a lot of sugar at dinnertime! I'm high! Don't listen to me!! Please..." was my instinctive explanation.

And of course, my own stupidity nipped me in the back again. I could see distinctively Tasuki's eyes getting even wider with confusion. 

This was not going well... 

But after a few seconds, Tasuki's glare of misunderstanding was replaced by sympathy. Edging closer to me, he bent down to my height to look me straight in the eye. 

Our faces were inches apart. I could feel the tickle of his scarlet bangs, the warmth of his breath. He was so gentle...I was almost surprised by how kind he seemed. He was like an angel...close enough to kiss, even...

In my mind, I started putting together an apology note to Chiriko...

Instead of kissing me, or anything ridiculous like that, however, he started to whisper. "What do you mean, someone is going to die?" He asked me. "Is it a Shichiseishi, Juri?" His voice was strangely urgent and rough underneath the quietness. I sensed that he needed an answer, or he was going to pull out his tessen and roast somebody.

"It is a Shichiseishi, Tasuki..." I answered, slowly, carefully... But I felt the tears coming on. 

Having gotten his answer, the redhead straightened back up to his normal height and put a hand on my shoulder.

"Damn it, Juri..." he cursed, regaining his normal tough, mountain bandit slang, "that's what you were holdin' back all this time?" 

I nodded. "That's it..." A single tear spilled on my cheek in the darkness. For myself, for Nuriko...it wasn't fair. Injustice...that's what it was, I told myself as other tears fell along the same path.

Tasuki was solemn. I could tell he was upset, and a bit angry at that.

"Juri..." He said after a while, "...us Shichiseishi were never meant to live that long. We have to be reckless, have to take risks, for the sake of our Miko. That's the way it's supposed to be. Miaka's not perfect...hell, she couldn't hold up a good fight if she tried. But we'd give our lives for her, just the same. There's no excuse for cowards in a war like this, Juri. Most of the time, it is the brave ones who die first...

"But that's our fate: to fight for our miko, or at least die defendin' her. We have to...Suzaku-sama gave us the red symbols for a reason: we are strong and we are brave. No one can overtake us if we tried our hardest. And even if that means some of us have to die, you know it's only a part of our duties, to Miaka, to ourselves. It's our destiny. 

"And as long as we live up to our destinies, you know no one's died in vain, Juri..." he concluded. "So don't be sad for us. We'll be glad, wherever we end up. So don't ever stop a death; who knows? You might be changing the future..." He let go of my shoulder, leaving me to take this in.

I looked at the snow underneath my feet. How could I deny it? I couldn't afford to change the future, I just couldn't. Victory over the Seiryuu and allowing Miaka to return home was the only thing Nuriko was fighting for; how could I let him down?

Tasuki was right...I couldn't afford to change a thing. 

"You're right, Tasuki." With a slight whimper, I raised the back of my hand to wipe away the trails of tears. 

Tasuki didn't want to see me cry. Neither did Nuriko. I was sure of it.

There was no use in crying; it doesn't change a thing, and it only shows your weakness. I can fight it...I can fight the urge to cry...

I had to cherish Nuriko's life while he is still around. I had to act as if nothing was wrong, as if everything was going to be okay...

I can be strong. For them.

Tasuki nodded, seeing the clouds drift away from my eyes and the thunder in my stare. "Let's head back."

I nodded.

-

~Suzaku~

And...fast forward!

The television blurred, then raced through the events of the night. Those didn't interest me at all. What really did interest me is what's going to happen the next day...

I played the television again.

Time was no issue when you're a god...gotta love it!

On the screen, Chiriko and Jenny seemed to have discovered something...

-

~Chiriko~

"Wait!" I yelled. "Juri-san, please, stay back! It could be dangerous!!"

"Don't worry, Chiriko," Juri assured me. "It's just a little baby, compared to the ones I've seen on tele- erm, in my world..." With that said, she continued to approach the animal. "And besides," she continued, "If anything happened to me, Chichiri could always protect me with a spell or two, right?"

Chichiri gulped, turning into the smaller version of himself and clutching his staff nervously. "Um...yes?"

"That's right!" Juri exclaimed triumphantly. "So you have nothing to worry about, Chiriko, okay?"

I didn't even answer, just looked at her uneasily. 

The dog was asleep, tied back by a rope in the back of the empty cabin we had situated ourselves in. But now, it was fully awake and staring at Juri with large, hungry eyes, ready to pounce and tear her throat apart at any second. It had huge, gnashing teeth, along with an array of very deadly-looking claws. It had the luck of a muscular, lithe form, that could easily catch any other animal of the same size or less off guard. What really surprised me, however, was the fact that the canine had very smooth fur and a great body mass, clearly a relative of the local wolf species-

"Chiriko?"

I looked at Juri. "Yes?" 

Juri just rolled her eyes. "You were thinking too hard again, weren't you?"

I shook my head, staring down at my feet. My symbol was clearly glowing. "The information that came to mind was trivial, compared to the fact that-"

"Chiriko?"

"Hm?"

"Just drop it."

"Drop what?"

"CHIRIKO...."

"Ah, I see. The common expression..."

"**CHIRIKO!!!**"

"I'm sorry, Juri-san. Hey, my symbol stopped glowing..."

"Ugh..." With that, Juri continued with her taming of the dog, approaching it slowly and calmly. Or, as calmly as anyone can be around a meat-eating, flesh-tearing machine. 

I know I wouldn't be that brave...but Juri's everything I'm not. She's courageous, she's talented, not to mention bold and not afraid to argue, even with Tasuki. But she always remains clear-headed, so she always wins the arguments. 

Plus, she's actually very pretty in my view...I love her eyes. They're almond, almost with a reddish hue, framed by very mature, attractive eyelashes. I think they are her most attractive features. She doesn't know...she kept going on about not having pimples, or something along those lines... I wouldn't know what she was talking about, but after all, she _i_s from another world...

If a person didn't know her, they'd think she's too old for me. But I don't believe she thinks that. In fact, I think she rather likes me...she hugged me, so that must mean that she does! At least just a little...

Juri seems to know a lot about me. She knows a lot about everyone else, so perhaps she'll understand how I feel towards her. It would be nice if we could, maybe, talk about it...

"Juri..." Chichiri began, still in his smaller form, "What do you plan to do with the dog after taming it, no da? We don't have that much food left in the cabin, na no da..."

"Well..." Juri was really close to the dog now... "I plan to train it, just a little... Dogs, especially dogs as strong as this baby, are supposed to be able to rescue people in the frozen mountains. I don't think anything like that would happen to you guys, but who knows? I might have changed the future more than I realize, so... In case anything happened to you, or the other Shichiseishi, like an avalanche or something, a dog could be able to help them better than human search teams. They have very keen senses, plus they're loyal to anyone who treats them right. So it should have no reason to attack me...unless the previous owner left it out here to die or something like that..."

She reached out and touched the dog's snout.

I flinched. "Be careful, Juri-san..." 

The dog edged closer, then closer still, until he was rubbing against Juri's side altogether. Letting go of his ferocious image, he even seemed to smile...!!

Juri turned around with a gleaming smile. "I told you so!" She looked so proud...

I couldn't help but be jealous of that dog; I put on a false smile. Next to me, Chichiri had reverted to his normal size, sighing in relief.

"Well, at least that was all over, no da..." The monk said. "And now we know the dog can obey..." No longer fearful, he advanced towards Juri, who had already untied the leash from its hold and was walking the dog around in circles happily.

"Um...Chichiri..." I started, "You might not want to get too close...the dog doesn't know you and-"

**"GGRRRRR!!!"**

(crunch)

"**DDDDDDDDDDDDDDAAAAAA!!!!!!!"**

"OH MY GOD!! CHICHIRI!!" 

"DAAAAA!!!"

"CHICHIRI!!!"

"DAAAAA!!!"

"CHICHIRI!!!"

"Oh, no..." I wailed as Chichiri instantly turned back into his chibi form and raced around howling in pain, with both the dog on his leg and Juri at his heel...

And I could only watch as the madness ensues. 

Sighing painfully, I walked off to get help...

-

~Nuriko~

"DAAAAA!!!"

"CHICHIRI!!!"

"DAAAAA!!!"

"CHICHIRI!!!"

"And you're saying that they've been like this for _how long?!?" _I asked dubiously as the wailing little circus continued to run around in circles, screaming even louder.

"Roughly three minutes now," Chiriko confirmed, pointing and staring at the sky. "See, the sun was over there when they first started..."

"It's very _strange..._" Mitsukake nodded. In turn, Tama-neko bowed his head in agreement as well.

"But, damn, can they ever _run_!" Tasuki was amazed. 

Miaka, on the other hand, was panicking. "Where did you guys get that...that MONSTER?!?"

"He was...chained...on the...cabin...door handle..." Never stopping, Juri panted as she tried to speak, VERY exhausted, VERY dizzy... "Miaka...guys...can we...keep him...??? Please...?!?" She continued as a small, angry Chichiri proceeded to whack the life out of the dog with his staff.

I think everyone had sweatdrops then...

Tamahome was the first to speak. "Only if he comes dead," he stated, nodding furiously. 

"Tamahome, don't be mean!!!" Juri was begging now. "Come on, guys!!! Please!!!"

"I never thought I'd say this, but he's right," I sided with Tamahome. "We can't keep the dog; I'm sorry, Juri, but where can we keep him? What can we feed him? If we try to raise him, he'll just die anyways!" 

With that, everyone else nodded as well...

...except for poor Juri-chan; she stopped dead in her tracks. Hauling Chichiri and the dog by the scruffs of their necks, she put an end to their little parade.

"...fine!" She said, still panting just a little. "If you want to play the hard way, I guess I'll just have to put it upon myself that you'll agree with me!"

She dropped both the monk and the wolf, and turned to Chiriko. "Chiriko-chan, I can't do that puppy-dog eye thing. That's your cue. Help me out."

Poor Chiriko didn't have a choice; I understood the likes. If Hotohori-sama called me "Nuriko-chan", I wouldn't refuse him either. 

So naturally, the little Shichiseishi stepped forward and gave it all he got, widening his eyes and looking so darn cute, you'd be crazy to resist. His eyes alone shined all the colors of the rainbow as he went on his knees and started begging. "PLEEEEEAAASE????"

"How KAWAII!!!" Being almost half a woman, I just had to say it.

"Those eyes...!!" Tamahome was reluctant...only for a second.

"Oh, gosh no da..." Despite the mask, Chichiri probably had tears in his eyes.

"Aw, f*ck..." Tasuki finally gave in. "Fine, you can keep the damn furball! Just make sure he's housebroken."

Juri gave a hoot of joy and proceeded to glomp the life out of a furiously blushing Chiriko, as well as the dog, then heading towards everyone else for their round of bear hugs...even me... 

Heck, if even Tasuki was won over, Juri had a right to be the happiest kid alive. And damn, does she ever show it.

"So-o..." I mused, "What do we call him?"

Juri gleamed again. "Chiriko-chan!" 

I think Chiriko just about fainted right then. 

So did the dog.

* * *

I think I left off at a bad point. This chapter was supposed to be a little more serious; don't flame me because it came out a bit dull...

But you have to wonder...has Juri really changed the future? Will she prevent Nuriko's death by telling the Shichiseishi ahead of time? What is the dog for? And will she get Chiriko and "Chiriko-chan" confused? 

Stay tuned, and thanks for waiting on this chapter! 

-CLAMPraven 


	9. Conforming to Entitled Duties' Interfer...

**"Juri"**

**-from girl to oracle-**

**By CLAMPraven**

* * *

~ Conforming to Entitled Duties ~

Part 8 of the Legend of Juri - Interference

* * *

Oh ho ho ho (excuse me; fox laugh isn't always appropriate...teehee)...the ingenious CLAMPraven strikes again! And you wouldn't believe my next idea...

Let's see...what do we know? Oh, yes...Jenny just remembered that Nuriko's fate would be met by the hands of Ashitare. 

(And by the way, if you noticed, up until the late afternoon of Jan. 14, 2001, I had never realized that I had Ashitare's name spelled wrong...it's ASHITARE, not ASHITAIRE...if anyone cares at all, or if I had offended the odd Ashitare fan by not correcting my mistake sooner. Oh, well...it's corrected now!! Hm...Ashitare fan. HA!What am I thinking?)

IN ANY CASE...Jenny was upset, as all little Nuriko die-hard fans should be, (not that she was, but after all, she did know Nuriko personally; how many fangirls had _that _kind of privilege?). Then, to let her sorrow out, she decided to speak with Tasuki, which, strangely enough, worked. And now Jenny can look at Nuriko-chan again and know that perhaps she shouldn't be so sad.

Then came the infamous scrimmage between the girl, the dog, and the chibi-monk. Let's recap.

_"DAAAAA!!!"_

_"CHICHIRI!!!"_

_"DAAAAA!!!"_

_"CHICHIRI!!!"_

_"And you're saying that they've been like this for how long?!?"_

Yep...my overly crazy mind is at work, once again. And believe me, something's going to happen that you never thought could, or would happen, in your wildest dreams. To this story, anyway. And the outcome of it all is so very strange, as well. 

This is an especially good treat to Seiryuu fans, perhaps, because they will, in this chapter, make their debut.

It's about time...

-CLAMPraven 

* * *

~Jenny~

"Aw, shoot, the morning's bright today...!!!" I yawned and stretched, sitting up from my comfy sheets. I didn't think outdoor mountain pioneers had the luxury of being such happy campers, up till now.

I had the strangest dreams last night...well, if you can count lust over Hotohori as strange.

Hotohori didn't come with the other Shichiseishi this time...I knew ahead of time, because I read about it on the net before. Miaka giving him a teddy bear and such. I honestly think I miss him! 

Hotohori is such a very beautiful bishounen, though. Anyone lusting over _him_ is understandable. 

There goes that apology note to Chiriko again...

But I can't help it!! When you have long hair, a fancy palace, a great body, a WICKED sword, not to mention the voice of one of the most talented seiyuus in all of Japan, namely Takehito Koyasu, you are worthy of my admiration 100%!! And Hotohori's got all that and a lot more up his sleeve. He's got humane characteristics, too, like love and respect; also virtues, like honor, loyalty and dignity...

I think Nuriko will kill me this morning.

Flipping the bedsheets aside, I started dressing in the clothes that the seishi had given me. They were soft and delicate silk, easily made for royalty. From there, I started to think about Nuriko's situation again...

I had forgiven myself, forgiven Ashitare, forgiven fate. In the past couple of days, I had managed to put aside my feelings for the things to come, and had learned to stare Nuriko in the eye again, knowing my fear and anger is gone...

I've tried not to cry, I honestly have.

And it's worked, much easier than I had thought.

I may not have been a seishi, but if I were, I'd ask Suzaku to make endurance my power, with the symbol "jin" on my fist... Perhaps it was a little too much to wish for, or maybe too little, or perhaps just a bit funny, but I have used endurance to the best of my ability in these past few days, learned to keep my eyes dry while watching the the living dead, namely Nuriko. How's endurance a power? I might be asked then. If so, I'd simply say...

I'd say...

"You'd never have to feel weak again..." I murmured out loud in the empty room.

"Jin" meant gold in mandarin, from the little that I remember...a metal, precious and tough. If I only could ask Suzaku to put another constellation up in the sky...I'd make up for having to lose Nuriko, and help Miaka fight her war, as I should. Not only would I have foresight, but I'd have gold running through my veins, and be fuelled by the constellation Juri...

I really am going crazy, aren't I? I thought. 

_Yep, pretty crazy..._

"EEEK!!" I yelped, then calmed down to the best of my ability. WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, LISTENING ON ME LIKE THIS, **SUZAKU?!? **Who do you think you are??

_God. _The nasal bird replied almost instantly. _Or was that a rhetorical question?_

I would've choked him if I could. How much did you hear??? I mentally screamed.

_Enough to know what you want to be; a Suzaku Shichiseishi, huh? Too bad. I'd have to grow out an extra limb or something to have room enough for you under my house!! And probably Miaka will, too...KEWL...but in any case! Aren't you satisfied enough with your duties as oracle? Haven't I given you an opportunity of a lifetime? I'm sorry, Jenny...I can't give you any more powers than those that you already have._

...I know... I shrugged. I guess I'll have to be grateful, being transported to YOUR territory. It's sad how I got a weak god. If I was with the Seiryuu, they'd probably win.

There was a short pause, then Suzaku started giggling hysterically. 

SHUT UP! Why are you laughing, BIRD??

_(Stifles) Aw pshaw...no reason. Heeheeheehee..._

Damn you! I got up and out, fully dressed. See if I ever talk to you again.

_Whoo! (laughs) Fiesty! Hehe...hic! Hehehe... _The voice died down into nothing, once again. 

Though his annoying, drunken presence would always be there... I thought to myself, then tucked the idea away.

-

~Suzaku~

"Damn this..." I cursed. "The girl wants powers! But what kind of power is endurance? That's even less powerful than intelligence!! And what kind of a dumbass would ask for endurance, anyway?!?"

"Someone who isn't very greedy and has a big heart. You should be thankful, Chicken!" Was Byakko's reply to this.

With the leaving of the snake, comes the corny tiger. I snorted. "I would've expected a request for immortality or invincibility from someone as smart as Jenny! And now she dares to ask for a wimpy little power like endurance? And she says she could join Seiryuu and win...HA! Seiryuu wouldn't even want someone as damn stupid as that!"

"Well..." The tiger looked thoughtful for a second. "If it were me, I'd give her a power like that, and put her up in the sky along with my other seishi. I'd gladly accept a warrior who's so honest and genuine like her."

"That's 'cause you're the sentimental dumbass lord of all dumbasses. Need I explain more?"

"You should give her the power," was all he said. Then with a trot, the shaggy god left my couch, leaving me to consider all of this...

Endurance was something I could easily give her. Nuriko's strength and Tamahome's fight...now that was tough! Even Chichiri's wisdom took me at least a few hours. I had to think up of all of his best sayings before I could install the power into him. But endurance! That was a piece of cake!

Reaching for my laptop again, I eagerly typed in a string of new html codes. Within roughly 30 minutes, I will have the new power set up. 

While putting a constellation of her up in the sky was another story, I could at least give her the endurance she wants, if that's how much she wants it...

Who knows? Maybe it might actually come in handy!

(pause)

Nah...no. Byakko's just about brainwashed me again. Oh well. Back to work... 

~Chichiri~

"HIYA, CHICHIRI!!" Came a voice behind me. The door slammed, followed by the shuffling little feet of a child.

I instantly pushed my mask back on and turned around quickly/clumsily. "Oh...hehe...good morning, Juri no da..."

The mysterious girl stepped forward, cocked her head to once side, and took a good, long look at me. After a while, her lips curled into a dead serious frown. "You had your mask off...and you put it back on again just before I came along, didn't you?"

"Uh...hai no da..." I brushed back my ocean blue bangs, feeling trickles of nervous sweat run down my forehead. Or, at least, my mask's forehead. I had a feeling I knew what was coming next.

Juri had something against my magic mask, and she isn't afraid to show it. Every morning, when I meditate, I'd take it off and let my face feel the rushing air. Juri managed to catch on with this routine, and in the few days that she has been here, she's been looking at me disapprovingly for it. Somehow, somewhere, she always manages to catch up to me; I wish I could turn invisible. Her glare was really something. 

A child's glare was, of course, underrated for it's naive and utterly silly approach.

Juri...was no child.

Thinking that she was would seal your fate, pretty much.

"Didn't I tell you before a million times, Chichiri?!?" The dark, reddish eyes were getting angrier still. I couldn't back off, either. Behind me directly was a wooden rail. I didn't feel as if I was ready to teleport...she wasn't going to kill me, just give me a mental thrashing about my mask. I had to try and at least stand up to it.

On the other hand, I was frozen anyway...hm.

Be calm, Chichiri... I said to myself... You've been trained thoroughly by Taiitsu-kun, master of crafts. You are her finest student. You are a respected monk. You are capable of great magic. You are a Suzaku Shichiseishi! So there should be no reason for you to-

"WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY FOR YOURSELF, CHICHIRI?!?"

"Waaahh!!" I stumbled back, bashing up close against the rail. Needless to say, my inner voice decided to shut up.

Finally, her hellish glare gave me a break. "Chichiri..." Juri sighed, exasperated, and backed off, giving me room to stand up again. I got the feeling that she was going to try a more rational approach...my life was saved.

Just to be sure that she wouldn't try again, however, I decided to take off my mask. I couldn't defend against her temper, to save my life. Which happened to be the case. So why risk it?

Off went the fake face that I had learned to live by, revealing my ancient scar and disturbing true image. Juri looked up to this, and I struggled to find words for my expression. "You know, Juri...it takes a person a lot of time to change, no da...I need you to know, I'm really trying, no da," I explained myself. "I've been living by this mask for years, holding on to it for fear that something, someone, will take my dignity and my memories away if I didn't...trying to let me put it away in a matter of days is just not possible, no da. I know you're trying. I'm sorry no da..." 

I bowed my head, afraid that I may have offended the little girl...

I knew that girls like Juri could get easily discouraged by a crude comment. I didn't know whether I was too offensive...just that I was defending my own weakness and fear through putting her down. It didn't seem right, and it didn't seem like me...for a moment, I was scared again.

Instead, Juri smiled at me apologetically from under my looming shadow. I gasped.

"I'm sorry, too..." she closed her eyes. "It's been tough for me these days, issues and such...I didn't mean to get mad at you. I'm such a wreck...so prone to mood swings..." She leaned against my arm...her presence was calm and soothing now, her fire grounded.

"Is it...about the future death, no da?" I I asked in a grim whisper.

"Wha-?!?" The girl jumped away from me as if shocked by lightning. "HOW THE HELL DID-"

"Tasuki..." I grimaced regretfully. "Maybe I shouldn't have said...but he told me last night, na no da." I scratched my forehead embarrassingly and tried my best to grin like I should. "You should've seen the look on his face when he warned me not to tell anyone, especially you, no da. Thinking back to that..." I looked up to the cloudless mountain sky, avoiding the girl's new flash of anger.

Out of the corner of my eye, Juri grunted, mumbling something about loudmouth redhead bastards, too much sake, and _flashbacks_...whatever those are...

-

_...flashback..._

_"She told you that, no da?" I asked disbelieving. That wasn't the kind of thing Juri would say! Not to mention confiding in Tasuki, of all people...what WAS she thinking??_

_Watching the nightly stars in the chilly evening, the bandit grunted. "Strange, eh? I didn't expect it either...but that's what she said, all of it. Some unlucky bastard of the Suzaku Shichiseishi was going to meet their maker...pretty damn soon, too."_

_I gasped, and immediately smacked the bandit upside the head. "Tasuki no da!!"_

_"Sorry, Chichiri..." _

_Quitting his offence, Tasuki was silent for a while. Neither of us said anything. _

_"You know..." The bandit began again, quieter this time, "I've never lost anyone important or anything. I wouldn't know what that's gonna be like...I don't know who it is, but I guess everyone's precious to me now. You guys are all I have. Even the okama..."_

_I smiled sympathetically. He was right, for once. Tasuki had no love, as far as we're concerned...the only people he even cares about are his Leikaku bandit clan and the seishi. We respect his privacy, as for the rest of his past life...right now, we're just going to have to try and reach out to him more, and hope that we don't get lit up in flames in the process. _

_It's only fair to forgive him for being the way he is..._

_"Yep, even the okama." Tasuki grinned, revealing his fangs. "Although, that **would **be awesome..."_

_Another smack. "TASUKI NO DA!!!"_

_"Damn you, monk boy!"_

_"SHAME ON YOU, NA NO DA!!! THINKING SUCH THINGS!!!"_

_ "Whoa...cool your fire. I didn't mean it. Aw, f*ck, at least put the staff down!!"_

_...flashback..._

_-_

~Jenny~

"Even the okama. That's what he said, no da," Chichiri was even more red now. "I guess I went a little overboard, too..."

I couldn't help but look skeptical as I tried to picture an SD Tasuki in my mind, running away from one nasty fuming chibi-monk. "Uh huh..."

Sweatdrops. "I know that's out of character, na no da..."

Equally huge sweatdrops. "I forgive you." 

I checked the sky. Realizing the time, I started down the nearby stairs. "Well, I'd better go. I've got to feed Chiriko-chan. I hope he remembered my little 'piss-in-the-right-spot-before-I-strangle-you' routine. Oh, well...see ya!"

With that, I ran off...well, almost.

(swish)

"Wha-?" I turned around.

Behind me was Chichiri, standing innocently...with his mask on. 

I sighed, hopelessly giving up. "You're an addict, you know that?"

Chichiri chuckled timidly. "Um...can't go on the hike without it no da?"

"Augh!!"

-

~Ashitare and his diminutive debut~

I glanced around with dangerous eyes, scouting my position. 

It was the top of the mountain. From here on, it is completely steep, and utterly untouchable. One sharp sound, and it will all be over. 

I growled silently. I was no soprano in the opera, but I could still shock the glacier with my wolf howl. The resonance alone should be enough to kill off anyone...even Suzaku Shichiseishi.

Especially Suzaku Shichiseishi. 

From my sanctuary at the peak, I perched, silently waiting for the enemy to arrive...

(pause)

OW! (scratchscratchscratchscratch...)

Damn fleas! As if winter dandruff wasn't enough...

-

~Suzaku~

"Hmm..." I mumbled through chewing on pocky. "Ahsitrare ish on sheh moof..."

I swallowed the delicious snack. _Okay, Suzaku, try speaking again... _

"Ashitare is on the move..."

_That's better!_

I stared back at the computer. My disk was done saving.

I had it. The program for endurance. Even quicker than I thought I would.

And when the time comes, I will install it into Jenny's code. See how she likes that!

Meanwhile, I had TV to watch. "Hm...mihaka ish sho shtupid shomtimes..." I mumbled again, stuffing my mouth with more of my favorite pocky. There was never enough to satisfy a god, though. I think they've just about ran out again...

~Miaka~

"OW..." I groaned as we climbed up a steep trail. "Tamahome, my legs hurt...!!"

"Fifty-seven..." Juri silently counted in her head, then turned to face me. "Wow, Miaka...you've really broken the record for the biggest complainer trying to hike up mountain peaks, haven't you? That's the fifty-seventh time!" She exclaimed dubiously...I think.

Nuriko snickered nearby. 

I scowled, folding my arms. "That's not funny!"

The strong seishi stopped laughing. "Oh, but it is! Miaka, you shouldn't have hiked if you weren't up to it! You know that. We gave you an option..."

"What option?" Juri continued to plow through the snow ahead of them. "_Tamahome _was coming, wasn't he?"

Tamahome grimaced; Nuriko nearly fell into the snow, heaving with laughter.

"JURI..." I raced up to her, angry with her comments. "Don't be mean!! I'm serious!"

"Don't worry, Miaka!" The black-haired girl reassured me, reaching up to pat my back, giggling all the while. "It's all in fun; you know that! We'd never offend you the other way. We're your friends; don't you trust us, Miaka?" Juri looked so downright cute...

I backed off, tugging on my hair ribbons in indecision and thinking hard. "Well, if you put it that way..."

But my thoughts were interrupted. 

"HURRY UP BACK THERE!" Came Tasuki's voice. "WE don't need y'all to drag your lazy asses any slower! That means especially you, Okama! And you, too, Oni boy!! GET GOING!!"

Tamahome and Nuriko straightened, both red-faced. For a moment, I was almost afraid they'd grab mallets from out of nowhere and bash Tasuki's head in, kind of like in those manga back home...

"WE DIDN'T NEED THAT!!" They screamed in unison. "FANG BOY!!!"

"What do you think they do to him when nobody's around?" I asked Juri in awe.

The little girl simply shrugged, and stared ahead nonchalantly. "What does anyone do to Tasuki when nobody's around? Until you take that tessen away, I think there's little anyone can guess about..."

I stared at her. "You must have a solution to everything!" 

Suddenly, another pain in my leg kicked in. "OW!!"

"Fifty-eight..." Before I could get to her, Juri was already running forward to the others.

-

~Jenny~

I ran ahead to the others, Mits, Chiriko, Tasuki, and Chichiri. That is, if you didn't count a very groomed, official-looking cat, namely Tama-neko. The four...er, five of them each had their own horses to ride, but unfortunately for us nine shabby little travelers, there was only five available.

"Ah! Juri-san!" Chiriko saw me as he turned his head back, facing my direction. The little boy's face immediately lit up as a thought played in his mind. "You can have my horse if you want, Juri-san! I can walk!" He suggested eagerly.

"So could I, Chiriko..." I grinned, politely refusing, and caught up to them. 

"Y'know, Juri..." Tasuki teased, "...if a fine young gentleman like Chiriko offers a beautiful lady his horse, refusing ain't a choice..."

"Yeah?" I snapped, making my comeback, "Then why don't you offer Nuriko your horse? He already cross dresses...he beautiful enough for you?"

Tasuki flashed a brilliant red. "HOLY SHIT, JURI!!! Don't pair me up with the friggin' okama!!"

I chuckled in delight at this. Who wouldn't love this little war? "It's too easy to get on your nerves, Tasuki."

"I can offer Nuriko my horse!" Chiriko piped. 

"I think he'll be just fine, Chiriko no da..." Chichiri responded, sweatdropping...

Mitsukake said nothing, but his expression clearly told me his embarrassment. It was funny, seeing that on such a huge guy's face...SD Mits wasn't always this comical, silent.

"You know..." I started again, "This might not be the best place to scream." Raising my arm, I pointed up to the mountain top, now approaching from the distance and in clear view, as the trees were parting on either side of us. "See all that ice caught up in the crevices up there? Like glaciers, I suppose...you could start up an avalanche with a voice like yours, Tasuki. You don't want that, do you?" I beamed, once again in my mocking mood.

Before Tasuki could respond, there came a howl.

"AOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWwww...." The huge sound rolled down the side of the mountain, crushing our hearing and rumbling downhill past us.

For a while, all was silent. 

"What the hell...??" The bandit was in shock. 

As I uncovered my ears, the others ran forward to meet us, Tamahome dragging a very tired Miaka along.

"What was that?" I murmured fearfully, wondering what was going to happen next. Everyone else was doing the same, pausing and staring with wide eyes at the mountaintop, where a shadow lurked, watching us.

There was a loud crack...

Oh, Suzaku... Was all I could think as half the mountainside collapsed with the reverberation...

The enormous avalanche, like a snowy beast, thundered towards us.

"**RUN!!!**" I screamed.

* * *

You guys will kill me for this cliffhanger (no pun intended). I know you will.

But aside from that, there wasn't much going on, so I can understand if you are very, VERY disappointed with me, 'cause it wasn't all that funny, either. Again, if you hated this chapter, review me so that I can modify it and put it up as a better version.

And as a side note, **okama **does kind of mean gaylord...namely, Nuriko. Just thought you should know... 

All this typing is killing me... 

-CLAMPraven 


	10. Conforming to Entitled Duties' Sacrific...

**"Juri"**

**-from girl to oracle-**

**By CLAMPraven**

* * *

~ Conforming to Entitled Duties ~

Part 9 of the Legend of Juri - Sacrifice

* * *

(In Pooh's accent)

I wonder why I bother....my story is pathetic...I swear too much...I wonder why I bother...

(pause)

I know, I know...I left off at a cliffhanger, and my dear reader and sincere reviewer, namely Lanen, is threatening me with a mallet right now, but I can assure you, the avalanche thing will be resolved by the end of this chapter.

(pause)

(once again, in the bear's accent) I wonder why I bother...I'm so lame I want to die...

_Suzaku: And so, CLAMPraven the Pooh tramples thoughtfully through the 100-acre fanfiction woods..._

SUZAKU...

_Suzaku: Just adding a poetic touch..._

-CLAMPraven 

* * *

~Suzaku~

I nearly choked on my pocky, eying the avalanche and then the other god. "DAMN YOU, SEIRYUU!!! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING TO MY SHICHISEISHI?!? WE AS SURE AS HELL DIDN'T AGREE TO THIS!!!"

The blue snake who had recently slithered onto my couch shrugged nonchalantly. "The interference wasn't planned, and I know I can't kill any more seishi of yours by this...but I thought it would give the story some spice..." He leaned back and sighed. "Get a grip. You sent the little girl here to be entertainment, you know that. So here's all the entertainment you wanted. Don't kill yourself."

I paused.

Then turned back to the TV screen, amused. "Interesting..."

(crunch)

(growls) "SEIRYUU..."

(munch munch) "Whut? Sheh pocky'sh good!!"

"Ugh..."

-

~Jenny~

"**RUN!!!**" I screamed.

The avalanche rumbled closer at a deadly rate, swallowing up trees in its whiteness as it sped along our side of the mountain. We were directly in its path.

"HOLY SHIT!!! Argh...we don't need THIS!!!" Snapping out of his trance, Tasuki reached his strong hand out to me, which I instinctively took. With that, he slung me roughly onto his horse, which was already rearing up dangerously and whinnying with fright. "DAMN THIS! And Chich doesn't even have his f*cking staff!!" The bandit was furious.

Chichiri glared at his empty hands, imagining the powerful staff that should've been there. "Even if I had it, I couldn't teleport everyone at once... But without, I couldn't even teleport the miko! I should've never left it, thinking it was only a simple hike..." Losing his no da's, he stared at everyone else through his mask urgently, as the seishi with horses each immediately helped up the ones on foot. Except Tama-neko, the cat with his own horse, who didn't move to help an angry, agitated Tamahome. "We have to escape the avalanche on horseback." 

The monk's voice was firm, even against the not so distant thunder of the incoming snowstorm, and my heart flooded with fear. My hands were pale as I grasped onto Tasuki. "Then we have to go, **now**." 

Even though my whole body was shaking, my tone was decisive. Miaka gave me a quick, reassuring nod at this. It was a surge of sudden hope for me, as well as everyone, and my grasp tightened, eyebrows furrowing.

With that, we turned our horses around, and the five mighty beasts headed down the steep slopes, leaving a gust of snow in its trail...

-

~Tamahome~

The avalanche was gaining speed as it approached, in the form of a blistery juggernaut. I hung on to Tama-neko and the reins, as snow slides crashed down the mountainside, threatening to throw the female horse off balance.

This was crazy! I thought to myself, while Tama-neko screeched wildly at our fatal speed. 

(Even now, it amazes me how strange this cat is. Not only could it ride its own horse (it preferred horseback over Mits's shoulder, and quite frankly didn't want to share...), but it also screams like Chichiri...)

The mare whinnied loudly, just barely dodging the tree in front of us. 

"HISS!!" (crunch) 

"Aah!!" I screamed, horrified, now paying my full attention on my steering again. Tama-neko had just left his teeth-marks in my arm for my inability to pay attention. 

I grasped onto the reins for dear life, as suddenly, huge boulders came down upon us. The mare screamed, and dodged the huge rocks coming from behind it,desperately running to escape the snowstorm's evil play.

As we raced down the steep terrain, I kept one eye to the side, where the other Shichiseishi could be seen. I could see that Nuriko and Mits's horse had barely dodged their share of the snowy debris. Miaka and Chiriko's stallion had been hit in the back leg, but they are still going on strong. Meanwhile, a very fiery Tasuki was whacking the rock shower away with his equally fiery tessen, as Juri yelled at him to pay attention to the reins. And Chichiri's horse...

I gasped.

Frantically, I glanced at my surroundings, searching for the familiar blue-haired monk and his stallion. 

Where was Chichiri's horse? And where was _he_??

But I didn't have time to think. The avalanche was still accelerating. Its mammoth shape was steadily rising behind me, above the trees that were slowly giving way. Its frightening boom was dramatically rising. 

The shape, as well as the group, had been lucky enough to outrun it so far. But it was gaining, and our horses were definitely weakening.

Snow flew up all around us as we trampled through at incredible speeds. Flakes of the white stuff cut at my face and stung my vision, gathering all about my brows and blue hair. Small rocks were tossed at me, and cut even deeper. 

I grimaced, and my eyebrows furrowed to block out the pain. Just a little more... I hung onto Tama-neko, grasping his sides and the reins with one hand, stroking the mare with the other, all my concentration at the foot of the hill...

If we can make it to the valley, we might still have a chance...that's where the snowstorm would gather... I smiled despite the ache. Just a little bit more...we'll make it yet...

-

~Jenny~

"TASUKI!!" I screamed at the redhead through the tossing snow in the air. Little crystals of ice were flying at our horse, and it even stun me. But Tasuki was too busy whacking the snowballs away behind him with his flames. They were scorching to my back, and I didn't like the fact that he was facing behind me when it should've been the trees ahead of us he ought to watch...

I buried my face into the stallion's mane and tried again. "TASUKI!! I CAN'T STEER!!!" I jerked the reins just hard enough to avoid the incoming pine tree. "DON'T BE AN IDIOT AND HELP ME OUT!!!"

But the bastard just kept on screaming and flashing his tessen at the storm. "LEKKA SHINEN!! Take that, why don't ya?!?" 

My temper was boiling to the extremes. 

The unlucky bastard.

In a rush of pure anger, I turned around and grabbed a fistful of Tasuki's flaming red hair.

"AAAAAAAAAGH!!!" The bandit hollered in pain, automatically turning to face me with a look that could easily kill. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU-" 

"Now, you listen to me..." I hissed at him menacingly, still hanging on to his mane in a tight grasp. "If you don't get your ass around the right way, steer like you're supposed to, and put that god-forsaken fan back where it belongs, I swear to you, I'll - eh? Tasuki? TASUKI!!!"

But Tasuki's eyes were on something else altogether. Shocked and unmistakably furious, I turned to see what he was looking at.

It was a sight that brought horror to my eyes. Near us, Chichiri had fallen off his horse, and was struggling in the snow on his knees blindly. His horse had run amok, leaving him weak and helpless as the avalanche roared closer...

"CHICHIRI!!" I screamed. "We have to help him!"

But the bandit seemed to pause for a second, looking for an answer. 

I waited with bated breath. Our horse was passing by the monk already, and we had little time to decide what to do. If we risk going back to get him, we might as well be sacrificing ourselves! The snow was too strong...if we took that small chance...we might be swept away with him. But how could we leave Chichiri...?

"AW, HELL!!!" Tasuki snapped out of his trance, and stared back at Chichiri's decreasing shape in the snow. "We can't leave 'im, we just can't!! WE'VE GOTTA TURN BACK!!"

With that, the redhead jerked on the reins, forcing the scared animal back the other way despite its protests. 

In my eyes, the avalanche was getting closer as my fear was getting stronger. Shifting to stare at Chichiri's fallen shape, I realized suddenly that his mask had peeled off. Limp and crawling in the snow, the monk raised his head to stare directly at us...

Directly at me.

I gasped. What are you trying to tell me, Chichiri? How hurt are you...?

His eye...it was so sad, so empty...so desperate that I wanted to help him regardless.

But his scar clearly carried a warning, as his gaze and mine locked.

And I realized what he was trying to tell me.

In an instant of clarity, I made up my mind. Fiercely stealing the reins back from Tasuki, I pulled the horse in the opposite direction...away from the monk.

The bandit was shocked. "JURI?? WHAT THE HELL-"

But my gaze silenced him, as the stallion rode down the side of the mountain once again. 

"Can't you tell what he's trying to say, Tasuki?" I whispered coldly amidst the rage of the storm. "He wanted us to go. To leave him. It was the right thing to do." 

Inside, I could hardly believe what I had just done. Or rather, what I had the nerves to do. Not only had I disobeyed Tasuki, butI had left Chichiri to be swallowed up by the blizzard. To be eaten by the avalanche. 

To die.

I had left Chichiri to die.

I felt my eyes watering with tears. First I'd ignored Nuriko's death, pretended that it wasn't even going to happen. Now, I'm deliberately letting Chichiri down, too...and that wasn't even his destiny! He wasn't meant to die, here, now...he wasn't meant to die. 

I killed him. 

I...killed...Chichiri.

My eyes were blinded by my tears, pouring down despite myself. I could see trees...swirls of trees gliding past us, like a dream...then the crease that was the valley, the base of the mountain. Steadily approaching, the horse gave one last cry before ascending over the small crease and heading up the next hill. I felt us going upwards again...

...and a heavy tremor as the avalanche finally tumbled into the low, crashing against both mountains and finally ending the deadly race.

-

~Seiryuu~

**"DAMN YOU!!!!"**

The infuriated red phoenix loomed above me, holding a huge dagger directly above my chest. "YOU BASTARD!!! YOU KILLED CHICHIRI!!! **WE HAD A F*CKING DEAL NOT TO KILL CHICHIRI!!!!**"

Sigh. "Calm down..."

"HOW COULD YOU BE SO CALM, DAMN IT?!?!?"

Sigh again. "Because, Dumbo of the world, Chichiri's not dead."

Suzaku stopped, paused for a second. "Wait..." A red light surrounded him for a minute, then died down. And when it did, the bird's will to massacre me and put me out as a lawn ornament had **also, **died down. 

"You're right! He is alive!" Suzaku exclaimed. "And I can feel his power still burning!" Beaming, the phoenix started to glomp me with gusto. "You kept him alive!!! You're...THE GREATEST!!!"

"Yes, well...^~^;;" I struggled out of his bear hug and went off to find...other means of entertainment. When a fellow's _happ_y, that's perfectly fine. But when a fellow's _gay..._whew.

And they say that they mean the same thing. Psht.

-

~Jenny~

As I sat beneath the evergreen tree, my mind began to drift...

We had all made it back safely from the storm. All except Chchiri. We had found his horse near our cabin, wandering with wounds on its flank and neck. But aside from that, no traces of the blue-haired monk.

Everyone else came out alive, and I was thankful for it. Mitsukake had just healed the wounds on little Chiriko's shoulder; apparently, a large slab of ice crystal slammed into it from behind him and slashed the skin during the bumpy ride. There were animals hurt, too...the healer tended to Chichiri's horse and Miaka/Chiriko's horse, whose back heel was damaged, with his doctoring skills. 

Right now, I was sitting outside...trying to escape the screaming, arguing voices from inside the cabin.

Tears stained my cheeks...yes, the Shichiseishi noticed. But most of them just thought it was from the fear of the ride. At first. They didn't know the truth, not until Tasuki told them. 

Miaka, above all others, was surprised at how I acted in such a dangerous situation...

"Ugh..." I tore at my black hair, confused and angry. The voices hadn't been blocked out. I could still hear them. Tasuki's screaming and Nuriko trying to calm him down...Mitsukake's occasional reasoning and the mild undertone that was Miaka's sobbing. They were all equally upset at what had happened to Chichiri, though most of them tried to hide it. 

I could tell that Tasuki was vengeful, and ashamed that I didn't have the nerve to save him. The others, like Tamahome and Nuriko, thought otherwise of me...

I hated it. The yelling, the fighting, the weeping...

I had to endure the pain. But I couldn't just quit the idea that I could stop all this madness...it was driving me to the point where I couldn't think straight anymore. It was the weight that strained my shoulders, the undeniable headache that blasted every corner of my brain...was I wrong to leave Chichiri? It could've gotten Tasuki and myself killed! But now, because I wasn't brave enough to take the risk, my friend hat to suffer the consequences of my cowardliness. Did I read Chichiri right? Did he really want me to leave him? With luck, we could've saved him...we could've saved him...

I couldn't take it much longer.

"THAT'S IT!!!" I screamed to emptiness, surprising the birds. 

I was assured. Hoisting myself back up, I stomped towards the heart of the argument, inside the camp. Once and for all, I was going to stop all this trauma, all this guilt being pressed onto me...

I'm going to stop it for good.

The dog leash was tied to the wooden handle. Taking it, I pulled the animal away with me. "Come on, Chiriko-chan," I commanded, and the dog immediately stopped his struggling to follow me.

I had been training Chiriko-chan for a while now. He had been extremely obedient, albeit only to me. I had discovered that he could do a variety of things. Anywhere from fetching, running long hikes with me up in the mountains, and sniffing out the seishi even though they're far away...I've come to love him for the things he could do, and the fact that he was loyal to me and me alone. Now, I may have found that I can love him even more...through my new idea.

In my mind, I had formed a plan. It involved precision, it involved strength. But most of all, I needed the cooperation of both Chiriko-chan and two other seishi. It was the only way I could even try to save Chichiri now...

The monk wasn't meant to die now; if Suzaku was right, I knew he was still alive. With luck, and my plan of action, I may be able to pull him out of the life-threatening hold he was in right now...in the depths of the mountains...

-

~Tasuki~

My eyes stun with tears. "We could've saved him...we could've f*cking saved him!!!" Struggling with my emotions, I stared into the eyes of Nuriko, fists clenched and painfully helpless... I was down on my f*cking knees...the other Shichiseishis' glares stabbed into me, and made me quiver with the unfairness of it all. Miaka's damn crying didn't make it any better. "We can't change what happen'd..." I started again, "...but it could've been done!! Juri was damned to think it couldn't have been done!!! Just say it, Nuriko. Say that it could've been done...say that Chichiri could've been saved..."

"Tasuki, Juri was right," the okama repeated for the last time, glaring back at me as if I'd committed a crime. "You know, this is amazing. I'm surprised and I don't know why. Juri managed to make a wiser decision than you, and you're supposed to be a Shichiseishi! You didn't think twice about the fact that you could've killed yourself and Juri, whereas she thought over the costs of your actions, and saved you and herself!! You were more arrogant than the child, and now she's the one who feels terrible, whereas you don't give a DAMN!!!"

I was crying. I couldn't believe it. I was crying as Nuriko pounded those words into me. 

He was painfully right. Juri **had** made a better choice than me. The little girl from the other world had always been more clear-headed and thoughtful than I was. She made a greater soldier than I'll ever be... She figured out that a seishi isn't worth a seishi and an oracle, and she wasn't cowardly...she was brave enough to steer the horse away from danger. That was courage. Mine was just bitchy arrogance. 

"Juri was right..." I muttered quietly. "Juri was always right. And now Chichiri's dead because of it."

"Oh..." I could sense Nuriko backing away from my form. I could tell that everyone's gaze had shifted from me to the floor, by the coldness of my words. I had seen through them and attacked their weaknesses as well as the truth...that we had truly lost one of our own. 

Looking up, I saw that their eyes had begun to water.

"Tasuki's right, too..." Miaka had stopped sobbing. Rubbing her tears softly away, she glanced at every one of us through bloodshot eyes. "Chichiri's wisdom was everything to us. I don't care if Tasuki was wrong or not. We have to put that aside and remember that we've lost somebody..." She looked away bitterly. "But you don't even seem to care..."

We were all quiet. The truth was really starting to sink in. Chichiri has now been lost in the avalanche, somewhere in the snowy mountains. We couldn't rescue him, didn't even know whether he was alive or not...how could we be arguing when we have just lost such a precious star?

Suddenly, Chiriko gasped. "Juri..."

Petrified, I turned around automatically, to see Juri stumbling through the doorway. In her hand was the leash and collar that she had made for Chiriko-chan; the wolf-like dog was standing by her side, fangs bared and eyes red. The little girl's stance was strong, her brows furrowed darkly, and her eyes were glowing the strangest hue I had ever seen...

"Nuriko! Tasuki!" She yelled in a deep, commanding tone, staring at the two of us like an official. "Prepare the horses. We're going. **Now.**"

* * *

Lemme guess. This chapter was, though exciting, as unfunny as hell, and you want to kill me for leaving off at a bad spot. 

Don't worry. I'll get it done. Soon...ugh. 

-CLAMPraven 


	11. Conforming to Entitled Duties' Rescue

**"Juri"**

**-from girl to oracle-**

**By CLAMPraven**

* * *

~ Conforming to Entitled Duties ~

Part 10 of the Legend of Juri - Rescue

* * *

You'd wonder what happens next, with Juri's plan and all. What will happen to Chichiri?

And, for those of you who had forgotten, **what about Nuriko? Will he die, or will Juri risk changing the future to save him? She could, you know...**

Suzaku, cue the dramatic music.

_Suzaku: (applies Ghost in the Shell midi) Got it._

So many questions left unanswered...Juri's taken three helpers: Chiriko-chan, Nuriko, and Tasuki, to help her save Chichiri. Why those three?? _HM???? _What will happen to them next??? And what will happen to NURIKO, **HM?!?!? **AND WHAT ABOUT THE PROGRAM FOR JURI'S ENDURANCE, **HM?!?!?!?**

**WELL?!? SOMEONE ANSWER ME!!!!!!**

_Suzaku: Um...CLAMPraven...I think you're taking this a little too-_

**ANSWER ME!!! I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!!! OH, THE CRUEL WORLD!!!!!!!**

_Suzaku: (shuts off midi) CLAMPraven, stop it! (holds the insane CLAMPraven's shoulders and shakes - forcefully - the screwed-up fanfic author)_

(both are screaming and arguing)

_Byakko: (Stares blankly at them for a while, then returns attention to confused readers) Nutcases... (puts up huge CENSORED sign over the fight with a sigh) On to the story...PLEASE..._

-CLAMPraven 

* * *

~Jenny~

I glanced around. I was in Chichiri's side of the room, that's for sure. These were his belongings. 

The bundles of scrolled-up spells, and the occasional candle or brush lying around. He wasn't the neatest monk ever, but just neat enough so that I could find what I needed. At least, he was better than Tasuki, who incidentally happened to be his roommate. I had to trample around in the bandit's trash (consisting of dirty articles of clothing, papers with kanji for his spells, and even a dessert or two, courtesy of Miaka...) before getting to Chichiri's side. 

I spotted his small writing desk. Flipping papers aside, I searched for something, anything, with his scent. I had to in order to find him. I was getting desperate up until I thought of my plan, and this was necessary!

It was then that I saw it. A magic mask, identical to the one that he wore on the hike and everywhere else, smiling back at me from underneath spells and small Chinese amulets.

Spreading the junk away and picking it up, I raised an eyebrow, surprised. "Chichiri carries extras," I mused. 

Carefully, I put it near my nose, within sniffing distance, and closed my eyes, ready to pick up any scents... 

It smelled of Chichiri, all right. From the times that I've been near him, I had gotten used to his scent. It was a clean smell, like a temple, clear and herbal. I could pick up the incense that he used in his magic, and the aroma of what seemed to be wax, from candles, not to mention...sweat glands, even. Phew. 

It was not a thick smell, though, and I had to sniff it several times before making sure that it was, in fact, him. Nodding to myself after concluding that it would do, I gripped the mask with a trembling hand and walked out of the room, hoping it would work...

-

Outside, I met up with Nuriko and Tasuki, my two appointed Shichiseishi. One was preparing the horses while the other had pinned down Chiriko-chan to the ground and was ready to wrestle him to death...

Hold it...WHAT?!?

I rushed to the scene. "Nuriko, stop trying to kill my Chiriko-chan already!!!" I screamed at the purple-haired seishi.

"**He started it!**" Was Nuri-chan's automatic response. 

Chiriko-chan grunted.

I sighed, bending down to pry the strong man's hands from my little puppy. 

Chiriko-chan was always getting bullied around, especially by Tamahome, Nuriko, and Tasuki. Miaka and Chichiri always try to stay away from him; even Mitsukake looks afraid, and I don't know why!! Sure, he could be disagreeable, but you've gotta admit, underneath that huge, snarling beast exterior was just an adorable little puppy, who's really very lonely, and crying out for lov-

(crunch)

**"WWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!!!!"**

"OH MY GOD! NURIKO!" I cried.

"WAAAAAAAHH!!"

"NURIKO!!!"

"WAAAAAAAHH!!"

"NURIKO!!!"

**"SHUT THE HELL UP!!!!!!!" **

Everyone stopped to look up at an exasperated Tasuki. "You're doing it again!!!" He yelled, gasping for breath. 

I cocked my head to one side stupidly. "Oh, yeah..." Looking to Chiriko-chan, I inhaled a huge breath. Then exhaled softly. "Chiriko-chan, you can let him go now," I told him.

Reluctantly, the wolf dog opened up his jaws, releasing Nuriko's arm. Immediately, the purple-haired seishi withdrew his wrist frightfully and examined it with a pitiful face, like a woman would be if she broke her nails. "He dented my beautiful bracelets!" He whined. "You know I have a delicate right wrist!"

I simply rolled my eyes. This wasn't the first time. "You're so vain!"

"Hardly!" He exclaimed in a high voice, defending himself and his more than slightly feminine behavior. "I always compare myself to Hotohori-sama, and if I go by that, I am never vain!" He crossed his arms, offended. "How dare you?"

"Well..." I backed off uneasily, "you know, Hotohori is...well, **Hotohori**. He is _**the** definition of vanity_. You know that."

"Oh yeah...heehee...and all this time I've been using him as an example! ^ ~ ^. ;;;"

I sweatdropped. "_Yeah..._"

"But now that that shit's all settled," Tasuki interrupted us, "how the hell do you plan to save Chichiri, Juri? He's under a ton of snow right now...y'know that."

"Chichiri's still alive," I snapped impatiently. "You'll just have to trust me! My instinct tells me so!!"

"Your instinct?" The bandit was incredulous. "Y'know, Juri...if Chichiri's meant to die...he has to. I told you already. Even if he was one hell of a monk, and a great...friend..." 

There, he bowed his head, unwilling to show that his eyes were watering even as he spoke. "Y'know that...you don't hafta taunt us...y'know we don't stand a chance, trying ta save him..." His voice was strangled, and I could tell that he was breaking down, even underneath the flaming red bangs that covered his eyes.

I stared at him with shocked eyes. "Don't give up, Tasuki...he's not the seishi I told you about...Chichiri and the avalanche...it was all an accident. This isn't his destiny...we can still save him..."

_"How..."_

"What?" I edged closer. The voice was but a whisper...

**"HOW?!?" **Tasuki screamed. He was raging mad now. His hair was aflame, his breath smoke. And yet I could see that tears were streaming down his face.

I jumped back, alarmed. "Tasuki..."

"CHICHIRI IS F*CKING DEAD!!!" The bandit roared, enraged. "You left him in the mountains to die, damn it!! How the f*ck can we save him now?!? He was swallowed by the avalanche and tossed, what, 500 feet down the slopes?!? For all you care, he's underneath a good ton of goddamned snow cover, with his limbs bashed and his skull bleeding like f*cking crazy!! It's been a good two hours now, and he doesn't even have any damn air!! He's probably frozen to death, if he wasn't anything else!!!"

He approached me, limping like a madman. "So, Juri, little miss _oracle_, you tell me just HOW...the HELL...could any friggin' monk, let alone CHICHIRI, BE **SAVED?!?!?**" 

Not finding anything else to say, Tasuki stood there, panting angrily. By now, I was crying, too.

"Chichiri..." I sobbed... "Chichiri can be saved!! He can! HE CAN!!!"

_It's true...how could you tell me what to think?? You can't tell me!_

I gasped.

_Why won't you believe me?? Why?!?_

That voice...!

For a moment, everything was concentrated on that one voice. 

I had forgotten about Chichiri. I had forgotten the feel of Chiriko-chan rubbing against my leg, frightened by the blasts of startling screams. I had forgotten that Nuriko was hugging me protectively while Tasuki continued to yell at me, as if everything was my fault, as if everything about me was wrong. 

All I could hear was that voice, for it wasn't Suzaku's...but my own...

-

_...flashback..._

_I was sobbing as the councilor looked at me. "Why won't you believe me?? Why?? I have friends at school, I do!!"_

_"Jenny..." Ms. Roselle was grave. "You know you have to be more sociable. Your teacher's filed complaints about you already...she told me how your situation was."_

_"You don't participate in class, and you don't want to make any friends," She continued. "So what is it that you want to do? Watch TV and draw those pictures of yours all day? We have told you to make friends day after day, but you don't even try!"_

_I looked down at my feet. "I...have...friends...you ask them. Jasmine, Ariana, Kathleen..." Tears ran down my cheeks._

_"Then why is it that you never play with them?" She asked. "Why is it that you're always all alone at school? Why is it that you only walk around by yourself at recess and eat your lunch in a corner? We have talked to you many times before, Jenny, and we needn't tell you again. You have to focus on getting new friends for yourself and socializing with them. Even your parents are afraid that you have been neglectful of this. They think that your loneliness will cause you more trouble than you know. You always draw those silly pictures...you don't really have that many friends, do you, Jenny? Think this over. You can tell me anytime."_

_I sobbed silently, wiping away the wetness on my cheek with one hand. It was true. I didn't play with my friends that much. All day, at home, and even at school, I would draw my anime pictures, hoping that one day I can move to Japan and start my own comics. I never told my mom and dad...not even Ms. Roselle...they wouldn't understand. No...these were my hobbies and mine alone. _

_Perhaps if they knew, they would stop talking to me like this. Like I'm worthless._

_Maybe if I wasn't criticized so much, I wouldn't be so private and reserved, and really go out with my friends like they wanted me to. It was a twisted loop that I didn't see clearly, and didn't want to enter. But I already had._

_One thing was certain. I did have friends. I'll show them..._

_Quietly, I retreated to my class, with Ms. Roselle's consent. I shouldn't cry so much. I was much stronger than this..._

_...flashback..._

_-_

Slowly, my memories faded away, leaving not my voice, but the voice of another...

_You never cried again since._

Suzaku... I thought bitterly. Why'd you have to do that?

_One thing was true. You are stronger than that. _

Yeah... I reminisced the old times. And it was true...I was naive, and later on, I realized that Ms. Roselle...my parents...everyone had been right. Nowadays, I'm more outgoing, and I'm beginning to hang out with my friends more. I love my friends...I never realized that until months after the guidance councilor spoke to me. I'm beginning to regret that I had ever thought of her that way.

_Precisely._

So are you saying...I should try a different approach?

_Tasuki can't be helped. He grew up as a loudmouth, you know. But you ought to forgive him...he grew up roughly the same way you did. You would be pained, too, if you were as close to Chichiri as he was. The monk was one of his only friends; he learned a lot off his wisdom. But now he has good reason to believe that that friend is gone, and he's upset. Learn to forgive him for his rash actions. It's really not his fault. And with a little luck, you can be forgiven as well. _

Right... 

_Good kid. _

I rubbed my eyes, clearing up on reality. Thanks, Suzaku. Those were the first nice things you've ever said to me.

_Oh? It was?!?** Oh, shit!!! **My bad...gotta run! Crapcrapcrapcrapcrapcrap... _The voice faded away.

I chuckled to myself. Suzaku can't afford to be nice, I guess. He was the war color red, and in a way, like his feathers will stay the same, his attitude will, too. 

Meanwhile, Nuriko and Tasuki were still arguing. 

"Stop blaming the kid!" Nuriko yelled, smacking Tasuki upside the head and huddling me closer, enveloping me with his strong arms as if to defend me. "You know what she did couldn't be helped!" 

The seishi looked down at me. "Don't let fang baka get to you; I'll take care of him for you, if you want."

"No thank; you shouldn't get so mad at him, Nuriko. It's not his fault that he's a little agitated sometimes. I just have to learn to forgive him for things that are out of his control." I assured him with a calm smile even he didn't know was coming.

"Juri...?!?" Both of them said disbelievingly at the same time. 

I squeezed out of Nuriko's grasp and headed towards the horses. "The horses are exhausted, and I know you are, too," I said, stroking the mare's mane, now a rational Juri the oracle once again. "We can't go very fast, so you guys better not waste time with idle chit-chat. Or your fighting for that matter." I propped myself up on top of the horse, and clapped twice, my little notion for Chiriko-chan to come along. "Well? What are you waiting for?? Let's go already!"

Both of them nodded shakily, not knowing what to expect from my suddenly pristine attitude. "Um...sure..."

"Good." I grasped the reins, knowing full well that I had taken them by surprise, and feeling like a goddess for it. "Lead the way, Tasuki; we're going back to the mountains. And this time, we're coming prepared."

-

~Suzaku~

I just sat there, staring at a very confident and spoiled-looking Juri on television. And blushing all the while.

Byakko was also on the couch. Doubling over with laughter, that is. 

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Woah!" The white tiger rolled onto his feet, staring up at a disgruntled, boiling red phoenix, namely me...

"Shut UP, Byakko..." I growled through clenched teeth. 

"I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!" He exclaimed. "You actually managed to say something nice to her, Suzaku?!? Holy crap!"

"SHUT UP, BYAKKO..."

"That was incredible, Chicken! I guess there really IS a first time for everything! Except..." His frown immediately turned upside down. "I can't believe I didn't have a camera for this!" He grumbled.

I grinned menacingly despite my immensely scarlet face. "HA! There! You don't have proof that I did anything of the sort! Blushing bloody red, or whatever it was that you said..." 

"Don't worry about that, sonny...I've got it all on good, hard film..."

We both turned around. "GENBU?!?"

"That's right..." The green turtle was behind the couch, with a camera strapped onto his back. "I made it myself. Been monitoring him for a few hours now..."

**"Wha-?!?" **I shrieked. "You...mean to tell me...that...YOU'VE BEEN HERE THIS **WHOLE TIME?!?**"

The turtle grinned. "I may be half blind without my specs, but I've got a few tricks up my sleeve! Besides, it's not like I can move anywhere..."

I nearly passed out. "**WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE WORLD, DAMN IT?!?!?**" I screeched.

"I'm really glad you're getting this, Genbu old man..." Byakko smirked. "Now I can finally take a popcorn break!"

Genbu nodded slightly. "Extra butter, please."

-

~Nuriko~

The small, clustered flakes of snow descended from the sky and swept along with the winds, twisting and swirling around our tired horses. The white gust was screaming as it hurled itself continuously at us. The three horses trekked around to the valley, careful as to not step on an unstable boulder.

I had withdrawn into the neck of my overcoat, shivering. "It's going to get heavier soon!" I hollered over the whooshing flurry to the others. "We've gone far enough! We're going to get lost around here!!"

"WE DON'T GIVE UP!!" Juri screamed, unforgiving and determined. "We're going to find Chichiri!!! And all the snow and the wind in the world won't stop me!!!!"

The little girl held Chiriko-chan's leash tightly in her hand, and the wolf dog whined gently.

"Oh, NO!" I heard her mumble angrily, "Now, I didn't name you 'Chiriko-chan' for nothin'! You've got to be as strong as the Shichiseishi himself! NOW KEEP WALKING, PUP!" She dragged him along while ushering her horse further.

"WAIT!" Tasuki halted in front of us, and Juri and I came to a stop.

"What is it?" I asked anxiously.

Carefully coaxing his horse despite the weather, the bandit got off the horse. He stepped in and around the thickening snow, testing the ground here and there. Wandering further, he stuck his boot into the white blanket several times, almost tripping over. Finally, he stopped, and stared back at us. 

"We're here," He declared. "This is the place where the avalanche died, right here in this valley." From nearby, he picked up a fallen branch and marked a line, right by where his feet were. "From there," he told us cautiously, "The snow's too thick to trek in. Any further than this lil' line, and you're going to fall and break your sorry ass, right down there with the monk himself. So watch it, damn it! I'll only say it once!"

I was amazed. "Since when did you learn so much about this, Tasuki?"

The redhead only snarled at me, running his fingers through his wetted hair. "Okama, when you've been a mountain bandit for as long as I have, you know these things like your own backyard. So don't you be callin' me a baka no more!"

Startled, I backed off. And sniffed. "Baka..."

"WHAT DID YOU JUST-"

"**BREAK IT UP!!!**" Juri stepped in between us to stop the fight. "Tasuki's right. He isn't a baka when it came to mountains. That's partly why I brought him here." Hastily, the little girl opened up the little cloth bag that was strapped around her waist. From there, she produced an oval item we all recognized as...

...Chichiri's mask?!?

This surprised me. "Chichiri carries extras," I mused.

"What the hell does that have to do with your plan?" Tasuki was stumped, staring at the object.

"You'll see. Chiriko-chan!" She called for the dog, which immediately came forth. Bending down, she put the mask carefully underneath its nose, giving Chiriko-chan a sniff of the object, ignoring the blistery winds altogether. "Chiriko-chan's nose is very sensitive, right?" Juri asked us from below.

"Yes..." I thought that over. "Chiriko-chan can smell a lot of things..."

"And he's been trained previously to search for people as a mountain dog, right?" The black-haired girl asked again.

"Damn right..." Tasuki was in awe. "You're right; Chiriko-chan can sniff out rats in our cabin, even."

I shuddered. Damn those hideous rats... I thought evilly.

"Furthermore, the snow around here is too soft for humans to step on, but not too soft for dogs, is it?" Juri stood up, having given the dog Chichiri's scent. She tucked the mask away and stepped a little bit away from the animal, eyes narrowing with a scheme.

"No, it shouldn't be..." I realized. "But what does this all have to do with our mission here?"

"You'll see..." 

Wearing a fox-like grin on her face, with an edge of vengeance towards the previous avalanche, Juri turned to face the wolf dog full in the eye, radiating the aura of a war general. Slowly, she let go of the leash. 

"Chiriko-chan..." She ordered it, "...go find Chichiri."

-

~Jenny~

The dog understood my command, and growled in return. It scanned around with its alert nose, waiting for a similar smell to arise. The seishi were silent as they watch this, amazed.

Suddenly, Chiriko-chan bared his teeth. He had picked up a scent.

Rising to his four pawed feet, the wolf dog sped through the snow like a rocket! Its leash skid on the perfect snow as it raced across the valley, on top of the gathered avalanche and soaring on ground despite the clouds of endless snow.

"COME ON!" I yelled, grabbing Nuriko's hand as I started to chase him, on the safe, humanly walk-able pathway, but not before giving the bandit directions. "Tasuki, stay a couple of feet behind us! If the dog doesn't think Chichiri's in an area, and passed it, **burn it**." Having said that, I ran ahead with Nuri-chan at my heel.

Behind us, I thought I heard evil cackles from Tasuki. Then, that magnificent phrase...

**"LEKKA SHINEN!!!!"**

Fire erupted everywhere behind us, as Nuriko and I pursued a very agile Chiriko-chan. The dog was far ahead, but we were a good distance apart. Holding on to the strong seishi's hand, I kept chasing. "Come on!" 

"Is he going to stop soon??" Unfortunately for me, he was already breathless... "I don't think I can run anymore!!"

Thankfully, I didn't have to answer his question. After a few seconds, the dog did stop. Barking at me and Nuriko from atop a boulder, he sniffed the ground underneath, almost nodding.

"Suzaku-sama..." I whispered. "I think he might've found it!"

-

~Tasuki~

"LEKKA SHI- **HEY!!!**" I skid to a stop, staring disbelievingly at the others. "You mean that's IT?!? SHIT! And I didn't even get to burnin' the okama..."

Nuriko just stared at me nonchalantly. "Don't. Push. It."

"Your job's not over yet, Tasuki..." Juri sweatdropped at my behavior. "You've still got more work to do with your tessen, so don't put it away just yet." The little girl turned away, and eyed the ground where Chiriko-chan stopped. It was on the softer snow, where we couldn't walk. "Can you guys sense it? Chichiri's under there..."

I squinted at the bright snow, then closed my eyes. I could feel my symbol glowing, my burning red powers reaching out to the spot...

It was kinda like a homing device, the seishi powers. We can practically sense each other. Even though I don't have magic, I wouldn't feel whole without the others, whether it be the Okama or Oni boy...it was all the same. They were all seishi, and we magnify towards each other, powers strongest when the others are near.

Indeed...I could feel a puny light coming from the spot. It was just a tiny starlight, but damn, was it ever a red Suzaku Shichiseishi light! And it was alive, too...

"Yes..." I heard Nuriko murmur near me. "That's definitely Chichiri's feel."

I opened my eyes and nodded as well. "Yep. Your plan's worked real well, Juri. So...what's the next step?" I gripped my tessen. "Do I get to burn everything again?"

"As long as it isn't Nuriko's sunny side, yes..." Juri replied, smiling wryly. "You get to go first. Burn it down up until you see the rocks underneath. Then back off."

"Sure..." The metal fan opened and set afire. I grinned, fully fanged, ready to release the energy. "**LEKKA SHINEN!!!!**"

Swirling flames burst from the tessen, and clashed against the vulnerable snow. With a few quick swings, I had removed layer after layer of the white stuff. The heat flew from the energy source and stun my face, but I couldn't care less. "LEKKA SHINEN!!!" I roared, now in charge again.

The flames and smoke eventually had to die down, of course...after 10 minutes of the ultimate destruction by Tasuki...heheheheheh....

...leaving the rocks and boulders that had collapsed from the fall. 

"Aw, shit!" I grumbled. "It's over ALREADY???"

"Come on, Tasuki..." Juri sighed, leaning against a nearby tree. "You've had your fun...all ten minutes of it...now, it's Nuriko's turn..."

"Damn..." I did back off...but not before muttering one last lekka shinen to finish it off.

**"WWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGHH!!!!!"**

"TASUKI!!"

**"WWAAAAAA**...stopdroprollstopdroprollstopdroprollstopdroproll..."

"Why the hell did you have to do that for, Tasuki?!? You nearly burned a hole in Nuriko's groin, damn it!!!!" Juri was furious.

"Heheheheheh..." I only chuckled. "Well, it sure as hell ain't his ass, is it?"

"AAAGH!!!!" The little girl was nearly tearing her hair out by the bundles.

"Phew...the fire's out..." Nuriko was huddled in a small bundle in the snow, blowing his fingers off. "Now that was damn close. My manhood may never feel the same again. **TASUKI!!!**"

"NONONONONONONONONONONONO!!!!" Juri stopped him. "Nofightingnofightingnofighting!!!! Now, Nuriko, I want you to remove all of the boulders from the ground! Take the load off your mind! That's the only thing left before we manage to get Chichiri back, safe and sound! Meanwhile, TASUKI...Tasuki?? YOU DARE CREEP OFF INTO THE FOREST?!? GET BACK HERE!!!"

"TOO F*CKING BAD! HAHAHAHAHA!!"

"That's it!!!! CHIRIKO-CHAN!! SIC' EM!!!"

"NANANANANA, YOU CAN'T CATCH ME -"

(crunch)

**"SSHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITT!!!"**

**-**

~Jenny~

"You...absolute...bastard!!!!" I screamed at him for the hundredth time. We were on our way back from the forest nearby, from our recent little scrimmage...

"WELL," Tasuki began again, "IT AIN'T MY FAULT YOUR LITTLE WOLF PUP GOES 'CRUNCH CRUNCH' EVERYTIME HE SEES ANOTHER PERSON!!!"

"I ordered him to do that...! But why the hell did you have to go running into the forest, damn it??"

"That ain't no forest!! It's too damn small to be called a forest!!!"

"Trees. Trees. TREES. **TREES**...what the hell more do you need for a forest?!?"

"WELL, IT -" Tasuki was suddenly cut off by Nuriko's sudden yelling from the distance.

"CHICHIRI!! CHICHIRI, WAKE UP!!! Please wake up!!"

I gasped, staring at Tasuki in the eye. **"CHICHIRI?!?" **We both screamed at the same time, then rushed forward to help Nuriko...

-

The blue-haired monk was lying still on the rock ground that Nuriko had dug out. The purple-haired seishi was on one side of him, whispering and praying urgently while grasping his frozen hand.

"He looks so pale..." I murmured, sliding up next to him. Tasuki stood behind me, shocked.

Chichiri's breath was uneven, but he was still alive. Strands of his mane were scattered across his face...his real face. His magic mask lie shattered to one side of him, looking like it couldn't ever be mended back together. His cape was tattered from the slopes, his limbs shredded by the sharp rocks to reveal fresh blood which stained the snow and the stones nearby him. His knees and elbows were scraped and slashed, cutting deep into his flesh. 

But the wounds weren't bleeding... 

"Why ain't he bleedin'?" Tasuki asked, horrified.

"Can't you feel it?" Nuriko touched the monk's face gently. "His magic has kept him from losing any more life, and fixed it so that his wounds won't spill as much blood as a normal person. His aura saved his strength and warmth...or what could be saved...it couldn't generate that much energy, though..." 

The strong seishi's eyes were watering at the sight of Chichiri hurt like this. So were mine and Tasuki's...

Until he opened his eye.

"Nuriko...Tasuki...Juri no da...?" He whispered weakly, clutching on to Nuriko's hand. 

His voice was so weak, it sent a cold shiver down my spine. He was so bruised and battered and wounded...it was a wonder that he survived at all...!! 

Tears spilled down my cheeks as Tasuki mustered to speak. "Shut up, Chichiri...save your strength...we'll get you home soon. Just don't waste your energy..."

"Chichiri..." I cried quietly. "We thought we'd lose you...we thought that you didn't make it...we're just a bunch of lucky bastards, aren't we?"

"Juri..." Chichiri smiled weakly. "I'm alright, no da... Really, no da."

I smiled. Words couldn't describe how grateful I was. "That's...that's good."

The snow had stopped, and a new blanket spread atop the old. The sun began to shine, signaling a few more peaceful hours before the night sets in. We hoisted Chichiri carefully atop my horse, and set out to go back to camp once again, away from this valley that had almost taken our friend, never to return to that place again...

* * *

So tell me. Am I not the lamest fanfiction writer you have ever met?

I dunno. This one didn't turn out so well, but I need your opinion, too! So r/r...again, for those of you who like to go and review every chapter just to make me feel better...

_Suzaku: She loves this desperate little band of reviewers that she's got right now..._

Suzaku, shut up.

_Suzaku: It's true..._

-CLAMPraven 


	12. Conforming to Entitled Duties' Gone

**"Juri"**

**-from girl to oracle-**

**By CLAMPraven**

* * *

~ Conforming to Entitled Duties ~

Part 11 of the Legend of Juri - Gone

* * *

Can any dummy not tell what this chapter is about? Time is drawing nearer as Juri awaits the day of reckoning...the day that Ryuuen Chou, Nuriko, the shichiseishi of strength, the crossdressing queer...will meet his maker. 

It has been ignored during the last few chapters, true...Juri had turned solely to the fact that Nuriko's destiny should remain the same, despite the fact that she could easily save him, and left it at that. She knew that Nuriko, as well as everyone else, is counting on her to guide them to their proper fates, in order to carry out their mission correctly. One little change of any sort can alter the outcome of the whole battle, as long as she was concerned...

But how can anyone have the nerve to kill their fellow soldier and good friend? Nuriko's life meant so much more than to Juri than she herself even knew...

So what's a girl to do? The fated day is still drawing closer by the second. Soon, Juri's endurance and foresight, as well as her wisdom and nobility, will have to face the ultimate test...a decision that fought between what she wanted and what was best for the Suzaku no miko...the life and death matter of Nuriko.

So, I guess, what I'm really tryin' to say here is...

**READ AND REVIEW, DAMN IT!!!!**

(Pants heavily, exhausted...for about 10 minutes...)

_Suzaku:...excuse her. CLAMPraven has an...unusual way of expressing herself. But you should know what she means by now..._

-CLAMPraven 

* * *

~Suzaku~

The three other gods...erm, pardon me, **two **other gods have left. Genbu's still here. He had forgotten that he was facing the couch from behind, and, unfortunately, couldn't walk backwards, to save his life. The others are going to fetch the tow truck soon...I hope. 

Well, it's as alone as I could ever get...

Sighing heavily, I watched the TV screen. 

At least Juri was alone. She sat in the middle of her little room that she shared with Miaka, clearly contemplating...about Nuriko, it would seem. 

Miaka was out horseback riding, and so was everyone else in the house except Tasuki, Chichiri, Nuriko and herself, tired from their last little experience from yesterday. The others were overjoyed to tears, seeing that Chichiri had come back alive, and after waiting anxiously for one more day, Mitsukake was well enough to use his healing powers once again. But as we all know, the heart is hard to heal, and the monk is still a bit freaked out from the experience. The other two seishi and Juri, however, were still a bit stale physically...they were forced to stay behind. Despite Tasuki's protests and flaming. 

Everyone was a little bit marveled at the fact that Juri was able to handle the situation by herself. That miraculous save was truly her best show of skill and effort so far. 

The next task, however, is far more difficult... 

I wonder... I could hear Juri thinking. She wasn't in the best of moods, of course. Nuriko...what should I do, Suzaku? I know that my task would be to watch Nuriko go, because it's his destiny, and I know that's the kind of thing that would be right, and he'd be proud of me for it. But...I can't help thinking that even Tasuki didn't know what he was saying when he told me to let Nuriko die...

_And what do you mean by that? _I questioned mentally. I've got to admit...I was interested in seeing how this conversation was going to go.

I'm just thinking...he doesn't know what he's talking about. They're going to be a lot more upset than most of them realize... Juri replied sadly. I'm not sure. What is right, Suzaku? What I want? Or what will be good for the Suzaku no Miko eventually? I can't stand letting anyone down. She paused. I know I sound naive...

_T'is true. You can't always have everything. To think the way you do** is** a bit naive. But... _I chuckled, _I do understand... _

I drew out my laptop from the cushions once again, and opened the program that I had long ago set up. _This is your most emotional and critical decision so far, Juri. It's the hardest on you, and, as you will see, the hardest on everyone else, either way your mind goes. You will have to struggle more forcefully and bravely than ever before. For that, I will help you. _

...what...? But, Suzaku, I don't-

_You wanted endurance, didn't you?_ I cut her off.

Yes...yes, I wanted endurance! I wanted the power to block out the pain, Suzaku. I wanted to feel as if nothing could hurt me. But what are you talking about? You said so yourself. You can't make me a Suzaku Shichiseishi, and you wouldn't give me more powers than I already have...unless you actually changed your mind...??

_Well... _I felt myself blushing again, fumbling for an excuse. _...endurance is a wimpy power. I can easily give you superhuman endurance, if that's what you want...and besides, I don't have to make you one of my seishi. I could give you that without._

I heard her gasp. Not mentally, either. OH MY GOSH!!! **ARIGATOU, SUZAKU-SAMA!!** I'd kiss you if I could!!! On the TV screen, Juri's smile stretched from ear to ear. She had leaped off the bed and was actually doing a bunny hop.. 

I typed in my command code. _No problem... _I assured her. 

Juri had done jumping around before her smile faded. But wait...

I raised an eyebrow. _Excuse me?_

Well, it's just that...

_What?_

Well, the thing is...even the Shichiseishi can't have their powers all the time. That would waste too much energy, both from themselves and from you. They only have their powers when their symbols glow...

For a while, I only sat there, stupefied. Then I slapped my forehead. 

Hard.

**_OH, SHIT!!!!!_ **I cried mentally. _THE SYMBOL, DAMN IT!!! I can't waste energy giving you some crap endurance all the time!!! The symbols are for shutting the energy level off when it's not needed, in order to lower my electricity bills!! I REFUSE TO WASTE MY POWER ON SOME FRIGGIN' ENDURANCE!!!_

Then... Juri continued, with a hint of slyness in her voice, Won't you give me a symbol, Suzaku?

I shook my head furiously. _NO. SYMBOL. DAMN. **IT!!! **I'll just have to find a replacement that's just as good._

Oh. Juri pouted on screen. But how will you do that?

_What does any god do when he's fresh out of alternatives? _I muttered sarcastically in my head. _Call Taiitsu-kun, that's what!!!_

From the folds of my sleeves, I took out a small black cellular phone. Cursing underneath my breath, I started to press buttons madly. _I am Suzaku. Hear me dial. Believe me, Juri, you will never get the best of any god, let alone the almighty cell phone-bearing phoenix!! _

...Meanie...(mental sniff)

_Oh, just shut up and let me make my call!!! _I tapped my foot impatiently as I waited on the connection. I could only hope that it isn't Nyan-Nyan who picks up...

-

~Taiitsu-kun~

"Yello." I mumbled into the phone. "And just who the hell dares call me during my beauty massage?"

I could hear distinct chuckles over the line. "Beauty massage....pft...heehee..."

"Ah. The bird bastard..." I was not amused. Since when did he call me twice in one day for favors? "What d'you want, Suzaku? I don't have all day. OW! Take it easy, Nyan-Nyan...I'm talking on the phone, y'know..."

The Nyan-Nyan nodded sweetly and continued with the task. I turned my attention back to the phone. "Lemme guess. You forgot that Juri needed a symbol for her endurance, and is looking for a replacement, from me. Am I right, or what?"

"WELL..." Suzaku was so easily embarrassed, it's not even funny... "You know I don't like to admit it when I'm wrong..."

I smirked. He really never changed. 

Suzaku and I don't talk much...not unless I needed a favor from him, or vice versa. We'd name our price, strike a bargain (or not), and get it over with. Back when he and Seiryuu decided to entertain themselves with their mikos and start that pointless war between Konan and Kutou, they had to pay me. BIG. Partly because they needed weapons and symbols designed for their seishi. Indeed...I was the brains behind the operation, and I gave them the weapons and accessories where I could. But as anyone ought to know, the prices are big when Taiitsu-kun's in charge.

So as long as they pay, they get what they want, when they want it. Unfortunately now, Suzaku decided to bring some stupid fangirl from the real world into the universe of the four gods! Jenny, her name was, or Juri the oracle, as he called her. Oracle, my ass. The little baby wanted endurance!! And to top it off, I had to give her a weapon. For ENDURANCE!!! That was hard enough, but now he wanted me to give her a symbol for it, too?? What is wrong with this picture?!?

"After a few millenia or so, Suzaku, I've gotten used to your idiocy..." I continued anyway, tapping my fingers. "So what exactly do you want the replacement to be? I can get her an amulet instead to calm her powers and therefore save you energy, and put a symbol on that to do the job. So what do you want the kanji to be?...GOLD?!?...No way. You are NOT SERIOUS!!...you're serious...???...Oh, god...the girl asked for the kanji _gold_?!?...where in the world did she get the idea for...oh? Oh...Okay...Okay, sure. Fancy font, whatever you want. And for the back of the amulet?...Hm...Oh? High standards, bird bastard. But you do realize that that's gonna cost you extra...? Huh? NO, YOU MAY NOT GET A BARGAIN!!!..."

_(And the conversation goes on...)_

-

~Jenny~

_Damn Taiitsu-kun...won't give me a bargain on this friggin'...ugh. This could take a while, Jenny. Why don't I keep you on hold? I can't talk physically and telepathically at the same time, you know..._

Um...sure...

_In that case, bai bai! I'll get back to you as soon as the old hag gives in! Expect a flash of blazing light in about roughly...24 hours!_

The connection closed. Once again, I sighed in the middle of the room, my thoughts alone to myself. My guess was that another beam of magic will shine down from the sky and give me endurance tomorrow; maybe that's what Suzaku was hinting at.

Meanwhile, I have a dark feeling that Nuriko's fate will come at roughly the same time. 

The anime said that Nuriko will descend upon the cavern of the shinzaho by himself. The shinzaho was located in Mt. Black, a mountain that sent chills down my back every time I looked at it. It was directly outside my window, and it was freakish, to think that one of my best friends will be lost there.

I could remember the first day that I came to the FY universe. I was stuck in the middle of Hotohori-sama's palace. All eyes were on me as I fell from the portal into the other world. I was so timid back then, and frightful...I knew where I was, just not how to react. 

And then Nuriko came along...

Since that first day when I saw him in Lady Kourin's clothing, we were destined to be good friends. It was something that wasn't clear at first, but the distance between us drifted to less and less every day. Every time we spoke, every time we laughed together...we didn't understand each other the first time I came upon the universe of the four gods, but slowly I realized that language didn't matter to me at all. I bonded with Nuriko and I came to love him as much as he loved me. Not that kind of love...like something deeper than that, that goes unsaid. It was a relationship that blossomed, from just innocent play pals to companions of a war that had even changed beyond my comprehension...

I didn't see gender...Nuriko was whatever he wanted to be when he was around me. I won't force him into talking to me about Kourin, or why he wanted to crossdress; I already knew, and besides, I respected him in all aspects. He would always be an angel to me regardless. I would never call him gay, or even androgynous. I believed in the freedom to love, and I guess he and I liked that arrangement very much.

And in return, Nuriko didn't see age. I could be a sesitive crybaby, or a young woman of the ultimate wisdom. Or I could be as old as Taiitsu-kun sometimes. But Nuriko didn't seem to care. I was ageless to him, something that couldn't be defined...and needn't be, because deep inside I would always be someone who cared about him and is acknowledged as Juri. Period. I would never be looked down upon by him because I was physically younger.

In a way, I guess we are very close. Not like him and Kourin, though...no one can replace his beautiful little sister. I guess it was more like the relationship between Tasuki and Kouji, in a way. We'd never get too emotional, and even though we'd never say it, we are great friends...it's not something either of us would question. And we do argue, kinda like Tasuki and Kouji do.

Only difference is that we don't have a greeting dance...I wonder if we should?

Nah.

But in any case, Nuriko means a lot to me. He was there for me, like the big brother - erm, sister - that I never had. He was better to me than anyone else has been so far. And if Hotohori were here, I'd bitch slap him for what he put Nuriko through. Then I'd bitch slap Suzaku for making my Nuri-chan a boy! And maybe, just maybe, I'd bitch slap Miaka for not seeing that Nuriko loved her now..._maybe..._

The realization hit me not so long ago that I'd miss Nuriko more than I know. That's why I had talked to that lousy computer-programming freak of nature, Suzaku. I needed reassurance, and I needed power to protect myself with, in case I decided that seeing the purple-haired seishi die was the only way.

In a way, it is the only way...I couldn't risk changing the war...

...could I?

"AAAGH!!!" I screamed angrily, bashing my fist into the bed. "It's not fair...so not fair...why did they have to make me choose...? Why did the gods have to put me through this?? What did I do to deserve this foresight, HUH?!? It's not fair...it's not right!! I can't do this..."

Slumping back into my silence, I could feel hot tears streaming down my face again. Why did I have to cry so often?? I feel like a useless freak and a retard. I knew I wasn't this weak; Suzaku knew I wasn't this weak! And what did it matter to me anyway?? Even if I save Nuriko, even if Konan loses the war because of it, what did I care? I could always go back to my world, forget all about the people I let down...it was just an anime, Fushigi Yuugi...I could always go back to my normal life, and pretend that nothing...that nothing happened...

...but I can't.

I can't pretend. I can't ignore. My conscience told me not to. I can't return to my world, knowing I let down my friends and failed my duties as Juri the oracle. I'm not that kind of person. I can't forget...and I can't let go. I'm so twisted...I'm not even thinking straight...

Konan's fate is my own now...I can't abandon it, even if it's not my fault...not my responsibility...just a part of Suzaku's cruel game...a silly, pointless game where loved ones get killed...for _entertainment_...

Footsteps assailed my ears. I looked up to see that Tasuki and Nuriko had entered the room. "What's wrong, Juri?" Tasuki asked as he edged close to me. 

His brows furrowed when he saw that I was crying. "Not again..." He muttered. "Is this 'cause of the upcoming death, again? You've been crying too much; you know you shouldn't."

I didn't see him. I saw anger; blind rage, in a way. What did he know about sacrifices this big? He didn't have foresight, like I did! He's arrogant, and ungrateful, and he didn't understand me at all!!

"You know," Nuriko suggested, leaning against the wooden bedpost, "if you really feel that badly, you can always talk to us about it. We don't want you to hurt yourself. Besides," he added gently, "you're an oracle and a warrior. You know how to do the right thing."

I couldn't take it anymore.

"NO, **I DON'T!!!!**" I shrieked, standing up now. I was crying uncontrollably, like a spoilt child. No one understood. 

How could they? All they will see is an unreasonable baby. Not the oracle I was destined to be. I couldn't even face reality. Suzaku should've never chosen me... Everyone trusted me, and I didn't deserve any of it. Now this coming from Nuriko...!! I was about to let him die, and he decides to say this...? It wasn't right...!!

"I can't make my own decisions..." I hissed, "...knowing that I'm going to hurt you all. I'm not ready for this. I'm a child. I'm a stupid, babyish little girl. I accept that. What do I care?!?"

"Juri..." Nuriko was shocked. "Don't do this..."

I went on despite him, dangerously calm even though my heart is shattering with every word. "You know, Suzaku-seikun should've never thrown me here. I'm balancing the universe with my free hand and struggling with what I want in the other. Suzaku thinks this is funny. Yes...tossing away life like flower petals, as if everyone and everything was inane...that would be fun, wouldn't it? Well, I don't think that way!! Suzaku never thought about what I wanted! What I want is for this redundant war to stop!! I don't want a part in this damned play if I'm only meant as some sort of shadow that guides my friends to hell!!! I don't want the responsibility. I DON'T WANT TO HURT YOU!!!!"

"JURI!!" Tasuki cried.

But it was too late. I had stormed out of the room and shut the door behind me, running madly away. Tears spilt like rain wherever I stepped...I couldn't see anything but red...I passed the rooms of the cabin, passed a confused Chichiri, and sped down the steps...

When I finally came to my senses, I was standing in the snow carpet outside. Wind caressed my mane and eased my sorrow, chilling my bare skin and drying my sore, damp cheeks. 

I kept walking...

-

It was strange. 

Usually after arguing with a guidance councilor, or my parents, or even my friends and arch nemesis, I begin to heal after about a few minutes. I'd realize that I was overreacting, my trust broken, and I was wrong to ever disobey the rules...I would always learn from it, so that there wouldn't be a next time...

It was strange.

Because even though I was overreacting, it all seemed to just fade away this time. I didn't think over it, I didn't see any consequences. In a way, I guess I ignored it, tucked it away in the back of my head and waited for the thought to die altogether, like a trapped animal. 

I had nothing to learn from this. Not this time. Because I was mostly right. 

Suzaku-seikun was unfair. They shouldn't have been saying those things to me. It wasn't fair. And it was, in the end, all for entertainment. I had nothing to regret, because it was all painfully true...

I had walked in a couple of circles now, wandering in the nearby trees, and coming back again. Now, I found myself in front of the cabin again, with Chiriko-chan latched to the door handle and the frost settling in on the front steps. 

At the window, Nuriko was sighing. He was sad, I think. And I suppose it was all because of me. 

His elbow was rested against the windowsill, his fingers tapping against the wood. He didn't see me, because he was leaning to one side, his face almost pressed against the glass. His eyes were drooping regretfully as he looked to the table, where Tasuki seemed to be slouched, blindly mouthing curses. From my distance, I could see the sadness in their eyes, the anger that I had caused them...

My gaze softened, winter breeze sweeping jet black strands of my hair out of place. I sighed.

I had suffered enough. I had thought of the consequences more than a million times, contemplated what is right and wrong, broken my emotional boundaries, held on to my wisdom and morals. And in all this time, I guess I just wasn't thinking straight. 

And suddenly, the pain didn't matter to me. In my mind was an image of beautiful Nuriko, framed by angel wings, smiling down at his beloved shichiseishi, miko, and friends...it was all I could think of, to bring Nuriko peace, and a chance to see his little sister again.

It was then that I realized it. 

It was never about what I wanted, nor what bettered the outcome of the war. 

All this time, it was about what made Ryuuen Chou happy. 

And that was to let him go.

My lips curled into a half-smile. "Nuriko, I've finally found my answer..." I whispered into the wind. "And I think you'll be satisfied..."

* * *

_Jenny entered the cabin, knowing what is to come, and finding inner peace within her decision. She never did mention to Nuriko nor Tasuki, nor anyone for that matter, how she came to her senses and chose. She didn't even tell Suzaku...who didn't need to know. The red god left the little girl alone, respecting her secret and never commenting, just hoping that she had made the right choice..._

_And thus came the fated day when Nuriko went alone to retrieve the Shinzaho. Jenny didn't bother to chase him, nor to convince him otherwise. When the camp had felt the shock of Nuriko's death by Ashitare, she simply closed her eyes and followed the others up to the mountain nonchalantly, fulfilling her duty. And in her heart was not the pain, but a silent peace that she had acquired, knowing that she had granted her friend happiness..._

* * *

~Jenny~

"NURIKO CAN'T BE DEAD!!! HE CAN'T BE!!"

"He's gone, Tasuki. I'm sorry..."

"**NO!!!** HE CAN'T BE!! He can't be..."

"Nuriko..."

"Stop it. Just stop it!!"

"NURIKO!!!"

I stood at the edge of the little circle, staring at Nuriko's dead body, blocking out the screams and crying all around me. 

He had fought hard. I could tell. His side was leaking bloody torrents, his symbol never to gleam again. His outfit was torn to pieces and his eyes forever closed. He was a ragged sight. 

But I didn't care about any of that...

What really assured me was that, even in near-death condition, Nuriko had the strength to not only defeat Ashitare, and open the cave to the Shinzaho, but he also died...

Smiling.

Ryuuen's brave, content smile was etched into his features moments before he departed. It was a sure sign that he was right to go. And I didn't shed a single tear because of it.

I had brought Nuriko a well-deserved rest. I knew that he wouldn't want me to worry. He must be happy now; I had taken him out of the war to see Kourin and paradise. He must be joyful, wherever he is. And besides, my well was dry even a day before this. I had no reason to cry.

Deep down inside, I was the most happy for him. 

"Don't worry about Nuriko..." I managed to speak after a long pause. "He was never meant for a war, I suppose. His soul is now at peace. And I trust that Suzaku-seikun will take good care of him."

This silenced everyone else.

"What?" I was confused by this. Why was everyone staring at me? 

Tasuki was shocked, and his sobs were cut off in midair. Even though his face was carpeted by small rivers, he had the look of a man who was struck by genius. "Suzaku...didn't you say you had a connection to Suzaku?" He asked incredulously.

"Yes, I - **OH!!**"

I was in stunned silence. Why didn't I think of this before?!? **Suzaku!!**

"Gimme one second!" I turned around, hopelessly excited. Taking a deep breath, I started to channel my thoughts again. Suzaku? Suzaku, are you there?? Please be there!!! 

_Ah! Jenny. Hello there._

Suzaku... I was almost bursting with anxiety. What if this actually works? What if I figured it out?!?

_If you're wondering what I think you're wondering, _the bird god cut me off, _I think you'll be very satisfied._

"OH MY GOD!!!!! SUZAKU-SAMA!!!!!" I screamed out loud. And I think I scared the shit out of everyone behind me. So I reverted to my normal mental voice. Suzaku, can I talk to Nuriko?!? Is he really there with you?!?!?

**Does this answer your question?!? **Came a rather loud, angry, but quite distinctively feminine voice.

**"NUURRIIIKOOO!!!!!!!" **I shrieked; once again, I scared the shit out of everyone. And I think they turned SD this time. NURIKONURIKONURIKONURIKONURIKO!!!!!! 

I couldn't believe it. I was right!!! Nuriko had met his maker. 

Quite literally. 

Now I think I feel like bursting. All this time, I was struggling with my emotions, and this was **it**?!?!? Nuriko goes to heaven and stays with SUZAKU-SEIKUN?!?!? In my head, I was howling with mental laughter.

But Nuriko didn't think it was so funny. JURI!!! What's going on here?!? I can hear you, you know!!! I demand to know what's happening!!!! I've got these four humongous gods towering above me, and 3 of them are sitting on a-a-a COUCH, and one of them's behind the couch with a strange looking machine strapped on his back, of all things!!! One of them is a bird and he's using this weird "computer program" and I can see your face on what he calls a TV, and he looks like SUZAKU - oh, NO...they look like...THE FOUR GODS!!!! BUT THESE CAN'T BE THE FOUR GODS, CAN THEY?!? JURI?!? **JURI!!!!! Are you listening to me?!? **I swear, if I ever get back down there again, I'm gonna...

I thought _I_ was gonna die by the giggling disease. But all I can do was howl and guffaw mentally...and smile VERY, **VERY **wide in reality...

"What's going on?!?" Miaka demanded to know.

"Is Nuriko actually there??" Tamahome was curious.

Well, what did I do? I denied! I couldn't have them knowing the secret behind death, could I?? "Oh, NO...I don't hear nothin'. But Suzaku says that he's...(giggles)...in good...hands...um, wings...HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

* * *

_And all the while, Jenny laughed her ass off, while everyone else just stared at her weirdly, wondering what is going on. When she finally snapped out of it, Tasuki and the others pounced on her, saying that she shouldn't be laughing when Nuriko had just died. _

_So Jenny stopped acting like a lunatic/retard/sadist and went along with the funeral. She went back to her sad thoughts and realizations that it had to be difficult on everyone else, knowing that she's having a good time when Nuri-chan's just gone. _

_And during the whole ritual, Nuriko was screaming in her head, very, VERY enraged at the treatment in heaven he was receiving..._

_Hell, knowing that, who can't pity Jenny? What an ironic twist that you'll kill CLAMPraven for..._

* * *

THANK YOU, narrator...**NOT!!!! **

Hey, don't kill me just yet!!! I thought it would ease off on everyone else to know that Nuriko-chan is safe and sound in the company of the ever-so-freakish Suzaku-sama. If you wish for me to redo this chapter, I can understand!!! 

Just don't flame me, threaten me, or say you'll never read my fics again, 'cause all my work is going to go to waste!!! PLEASE BE NICE!!!

-CLAMPraven 


	13. Conforming to Entitled Duties' Love

**"Juri"**

**-from girl to oracle-**

**By CLAMPraven**

* * *

~ Conforming to Entitled Duties ~

Part 12 of the Legend of Juri - Love

* * *

The last chapter went from funny to depressing, and back to funny again. (shrugs) I realize that. And it might have been hard to follow, 'cause I don't always do the best job explaining myself. In the end, I've got a few thousand FY fan girls on my tail trying to kill me, but that's not always the case.

In any case, what you do know is that Nuriko is officially stuck with the gods, on the couch, watching television. It's freakish as hell; I know. 

And also, for those of you who have not forgotten, there is the small matter of Juri's new powers. What will happen? Will she receive the power within this chapter? What will her weapon be? Will she be stronger than everyone else, or will she screw up and self-detonate? WHO KNOWS??? Just keep reading.

And yes, I know the title of my own chapter of the fic, thank you. It is, in fact, called _Love_. And believe you me, this is going to be the most stupid thing I've ever written. Don't think I can add in a little love fizazz to my fics? Just watch me...

Come on, you know what this means. Where there is CLAMPraven romance, there is NO CLAMPraven humour!!! NONE!!! Don't flame me...we can all get our heads out of the gutter once in a while and smell the roses...

-CLAMPraven 

* * *

~Nuriko~

I was stumped. Exhausted. And coming down with a case of laryngitis. Yelling at Juri for too long when she's ignoring you was possibly the stupidest thing I'd ever done in my life. 

So now I was propped up on the sofa, thanks to some help by Byakko. After my shock of realizing that, indeed, it _was _the four gods, I had passed out. Twice. Before Suzaku decided to slap some sense into me and invited me to watch "TV" with him. 

TV was strange...it was huge, even taller than me. But then again, Suzaku was a hell of a lot bigger. TV also liked to shock me when I tried to touch it; I was pretty curious about it, so I touched it several times...each time it buzzed me, Suzaku shook his head sadly and mumbled something about IQ shortage. I wonder what he meant...

But TV was also a miracle-worker, because it managed to capture what the Shichiseishi were doing down at Mt. Black. There was the occasional close-up on the screen, too, and I think Suzaku-sama found enjoyment in watching this...I don't know. It made my eyes feel uncomfortable, because, after all, I've never seen such a thing...

In any case, I was dead. Silenced. Beat. And watching TV with the god of Konan. Oh, the irony of it all...

"Suzaku?" I mumbled.

"Hm?" The huge bird looked down at me. "What is it, Nuriko?"

I sighed. "Is this where all the other dead people go?"

The glowing eyes were hesitant. "No...you're one of the Shichiseishi. You get special privileges, including being here once you die. It's a lot better than the treatment everyone else gets, trust me. The other souls that have passed on...they are locked up in a different dimension. Some are reborn, others work for us eternally." He shrugged. "Either way, they are usually not allowed to be seen, ever again."

"Never seen again...OH!" I snapped out of my boredom, remembering the one person who mattered most to me as a child. "**KOURIN!!**" 

Leaping up from my seat in panic, I stared the god in the eye. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?!?" 

Kourin...my little sister...how could Suzaku do this to me?!?

I love Kourin with all my heart...so much so that I even allowed her to be reborn through me. Up until the battle of Ashitare, I had never once forgotten her. Her angel smile, her beautiful eyes...she was the one thing that mattered most to me. If it weren't for her, I wouldn't be the man I had become. I would easily give up everything I had earned, all my love, all my prized possessions...if it meant seeing Kourin alive and well, smiling back at me.

When she died, I was haunted with these visions...I could see her in heaven, and I could feel that she is happy. But now Suzaku...!!! NO!! How could this be?

"**WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?!?**" I screamed again. "ANSWER ME!!!"

The huge bird sighed at me. I was enraged, yet scared, and confused. Where was Kourin?

Suzaku spread his burning red wings, and closed his diamond eyes. "You'll see..."

Suddenly, the phoenix's power erupted from within the god. Nuriko could feel the enveloping of his feathered soul all around him, reverberating across the room.

"Bring me Chou Kourin," Suzaku commanded through the power surge.

There were flashes of brilliant, fiery light with every wing beat. The crimson starlight escaped from his feathers colliding, rising up in enchanted smoke and gust. The gleam arose within the room, shining scarlet and crystal. Its mist surrounded Nuriko and Suzaku, drowning them in dreamy ecstacy...

And nothing else mattered.

When Nuriko finally opened his eyes from the shock, the enormous bird had disappeared altogether. The realm he was standing in was empty, except for the pale pink hue all around him. It was soothing, except for the fact that it was...lifeless. And unnatural, to say the least.

He stared around himself frantically, not knowing where everything had gone. "Where-where am I??" He stuttered.

_"Oniichan."_

Nuriko froze at the voice. "No..."

_"Oniichan. I'm here."_

Slowly, uncertainly, the seishi turned around, not knowing what to expect. His gaze stopped at two mysterious gleaming eyes.

Kourin smiled again, with tears in her eyes, for the first time in years. _"Oniichan. Suzaku-seikun finally brought you to me. After all these years, brother...I've finally found you..."_

-

~Suzaku~

Phasing out of the realm, I returned to my regularly scheduled TV watching. Ah...

It was so easy to do. I had reunited Nuriko with Kourin, all the while scaring the shit out of him. I do believe that it was the right thing to do. Possibly the only good deed I've done in my infinite lifetime so far. 

I do wonder what it would be like to die sometimes...living forever with a TV, a couch, and three perverted gods wasn't exactly my idea of paradise. I wonder about death...getting separated from everyone you love, never seeing them again...you only get to watch them from above the clouds, and cry your heart out thinking what you did to deserve this. 

On the other hand, it is kinda fun, to toy with death...especially for those of the people who are going to be reborn. Us four gods decide where they go, see...we contact the rulers of other anime universes and check if they have enough room for any of them. I've already shipped off a few to the Silver Millennium in Crystal Tokyo...Neo-queen Serenity seems to have an interest for the bishounen. Koenma gets some of them, too...there's a daily shipment of dead souls to his realm, though chances are he'd probably keep them dead. Some of them I give to Clow Read, too...and Cephiro seems to want a few. Oh, and who could forget? The universe of Ayashi no Ceres...where else did Aya came from? Heh...

Oh, well...I'm getting off-topic. In any case, I'd better tell Jenny about the sibling reunion...

Jenny...

I watched the TV screen. Jenny was all alone again, apparently back at the cabin for who knows what reasons. She had a small, content smile on her face, and her eyes were peacefully closed in thought. Was she asleep? No...I could still hear her mind at work. 

It was an indiscernible hum that I couldn't make sense of, coming from her mind. I'd assume she's trying to think, but she can't do it. Every once in a while, though, she'd compliment herself mentally about her success in her last task, and a small chuckle in her head about Nuriko being stuck in heaven...

I smirked despite myself. Jenny's thoughts were almost always ironic, or dark, to the point where it actually sounds humorous. But no matter how complex and unfathomable her mind was, she always looked serene, thinking...whatever it was she happened to be thinking. Her eyes were usually closed, her shiny black hair scattered around her face, her lips sealed with a smile. 

Not cute...never cute. Jenny couldn't be cute if she tried. A lot of people can be adorable, like Chichiri or Nuriko or Miaka...or SD Tasuki, for that matter...love the chibi-fang grin. But Jenny was truly beautiful.

I loved it when she looked tranquil like that. My heart softened when she did that. It was no longer Juri screaming at me, or trying to be serious and on task. It was Jenny, who was always gentle and never swore at me, or anything like that. When she's asleep, she really looked like an angel. A rather small angel, and a little bit flat-chested, but an angel nonetheless. 

Damn it if I ever told her that, but she was gorgeous...

"You like the little lady, don't you?"

"Yeah...yes, I do, Genbu."

"Ahh..." The older god murmured, chuckling at me knowingly. "I figured that'd happen. You've had your eyes set on her the moment you saw her. So tell me, sonny...how does it feel?"

"Strange...strangely nice, that is. I've never liked anyone before, Genbu. At first, she seemed like a lonely kid that I brought to my world, just for fun. After a while, I started to pity her, because she couldn't communicate with anyone. She was antisocial only because she was mistreated in the past...she didn't want to be that way. So I gave her a new language, some good friends...even paired her up with Chiriko and got her a dog! Meanwhile, I kept her distance, expecting her to shun me, like everybody else. But she never did. She didn't hate me."

"How could you tell?"

"She couldn't hate me. It's even in her tone of voice. She swore at me, but she tried to be nice to me. She tried to be **nice, **to ME, of all people...I didn't understand it myself. I was just a sick, demented god looking for entertainment. But she got the best of me, Genbu. How did she do it?" 

The turtle god paused for a second. "Well...I guess you do love her, then."

I nearly choked as I jumped off the couch. "LOVE HER?!?"

Genbu nodded. "That's right. And don't you do that denial thing with me, Suzaku! You were never treated fairly. You were mistreated all the time...we hated your guts! Then comes along one girl who can't bring herself to be any less than nice to you. It's no wonder you started to be drawn to her."

I considered this. An ageless god, in love with a little girl from another world...was it even possible? Still, I knew I must have some sort of feelings for her.

We had to talk. Okay, Suzaku...sound casual...

-

~Nuriko~

"Kourin..." I whispered as I felt the little girl in my arms again. Real flesh and blood, against my chest. It filled me with warmth, to see her again...

_"You should know better than to think something as simple as death could separate us, beautiful oniichan..."_ My little sister responded quietly as I put her down._ "You should also know that I'm happy here."_

"Oh?" I was surprised. "But I thought-"

_ "Suzaku-seikun took good very good care of me."_ Kourin's eyes shimmered. _"He didn't allow them to put me with the work crew, and took me from the list of those who would be reborn. Instead, he gave me this part of the afterlife, all to myself. It's my own dream world, Nuriko-chan. It's where I could be alone with my thoughts, and I could see you whenever I want. Suzaku is nicer than you think."_

I was relieved. My sister was alright. Suzaku actually took care of her. Still...

I squatted down to her height. "But don't you ever get lonely here by yourself, Kourin?"

The little girl only gleamed. _"Look around you."_

Nodding, I stood up...

...and gasped. 

The pink walls were gone. In their place was a clear blue sky. We were standing in a field of daffodils, stretching out into the horizon. There was not a cloud in the sky. Pale yellow and white shades of butterfly danced across the meadow.

"Wha-?" I was amazed at the vastness of the view. "How did you...do that, Kourin?"

Kourin bent down to pick up a young flower, gently stroking its petals. It blossomed in her hand. _"Did I mention that this world is whatever I want it to be, dear oniichan?" _

She smiled sweetly at me, and I took her hand in mine. Together, we walked through the flowers, with songbirds singing at our side. Butterflies scattered the dust from their precious wings at our side, and the magic enveloped us with ever step...

Kourin was always so innocent... I thought, grinning sheepishly. Of course, _she'd_ think of something like this...

In response to that, the little girl beside me giggled. _"Oniichan! You meanie!"_

"Nothing, Kourin. Come on!" 

-

~Jenny~

You let Nuriko see **Kourin**?!? I asked dubiously. _**NO**_...

_It's true... _Suzaku replied smugly. _Possibly the most honest thing I've ever done. Hey, if you're interested in finding the truth, ask him yourself after about...5 minutes. That's how long he'll be in the afterlife. And if you're STILL thinking what I think you're thinking, then NO, I DIDN'T DRUG HIM!!!_

I was, once again, in a telepathic conversation with the god of Konan in the cabin. 

Out of courtesy for my mental health (I think I really laughed too much at Nuriko's funeral...), Mitsukake decided to split up with the others to send me back to camp. Miaka and the rest of the Shichiseishi headed on to find the shinzaho in the cave. If I'm not wrong, they'll be meeting with the Genbu seishi soon, and Miaka will have to overcome the trial. I gave her a little "good luck" before heading off into the distance with Mits...I think I left her confused. Oh, well.

But now Suzaku was coming into my head, and telling me that he managed to let Nuriko and Kourin reunite in the afterlife?!? 

I shook my head in awe. I'll never understand it, but I think I actually believe you...

_Yeah, figured you would. Even I have a heart, Jen-chan. And besides...it's been a long time since they've seen each other... _the bird admitted. 

Yeah... I grinned wistfully. Sure would like to see that - **HEY!!!! Now just you wait a f*cking second!!**

_What?_

You did **NOT** just call me Jen-chan.

_Yeah, I did. I was in a good mood. _

What the hell are you trying to pull off, you sentimental freak?!?

_Nothing, Jenny. Nothing. N-O-T-H-I-N-G. NOTHING, NOTHING, NOTHING. And, please, don't ever call **me **a sentimental freak._

That's good... I collapsed onto my bed, dizzy and sweating. I felt like I had a momentary stroke. Whew!! Suzaku, check my blood pressure. I think you've really gone and done it this time...

_You're fine, Jenny. I do like teasing you, though. Hm...you don't mind me pushing your buttons once in a while, do you? It's all for fun, you know. No one's as easy to push around as you. Not even the tiger..._

I don't care. I'm just glad you don't do it all the time.

_Well, see, that's the thing, Jenny..._

Hm...? Suzaku, think louder. I can't hear you.

_It might sound weird, coming from me, but...I can't bring myself to be mean to you all the time..._

I sat upright. WHAT ARE YOU GETTING AT?!? And why are you sounding different than usual?!?

_Please...Jenny, don't interrupt me._

I fell silent mentally. My brain failed me. What was I supposed to say? Suzaku actually sounded...pained. And...**TIMID**?!? It was stranger than hell, and I decided to keep my thoughts to myself as he went on...

-

~Suzaku~

I was frozen for a while, trying to piece together what I was going to say. Genbu was squat behind the couch, anticipating my every move. I think Byakko was there, too...I can't be sure. I was just glad Nuriko was in the other realm and not seeing this. He'd be laughing his ass off, that's for sure. Suzaku, in a moment of weakness? This is not going well on my part...

_Just go for it, _came a message from behind me. _You can't do that badly, you know..._

Well, now it's confirmed. Byakko baka WAS behind me. OH, THE AGONY!!!

Still, I continued.

_You probably think I'm being stupid right now... _I went on, fidgeting all the while. _I'm usually really nasty to you. Like it or not, you also probably hate me for it. That's okay...I figured that would happen. I guess it was part of what was supposed to happen. I'm like that with just about everyone. But it wasn't something I **wanted **to happen._

_You're an interesting girl, Jenny. I think your personality is a very strange one...no words will do justice to your thoughts. Nobody understood you. Even your friends couldn't get inside your head. You were defensive, because you've been hurt before. You can't deny that there are some bastards out there who'd want to hurt you. I think anyone would cry, to see what you've been hiding in your past. Traveling from school to school...there were never any permanent friends for you. It must have been painful._

I paused. Then shuddered. _Better not get to personal here...let's go back to topic._

_Like I said, I was planning for you to hate me, but I didn't realize what you've been through could make you as tough as I was. You were almost a god yourself, with your attitude. In the end, I was the idiot, to think you were just for amusement. You were more than just a little comedy ride, or a filler when things got boring. You were a fighter, and you fought through the hardships. You actually stunned me with that. Do you know how hard it is to sting a god? _

_I came to live with your fiery temperament, Jenny. You were always a good person to talk to. I suppose I never had someone to talk to, really. Byakko and the other gods think my heart rotted away a long time ago. They speak to me as if they found me funny, as if they despised me...as if they feared me. You treated me with what courtesy you had, even when I was terrible to you. I couldn't believe how many excuses you form in your head to not get irritated with me. _

_I'm a god...immortal, emotionless as stone. So it took me a long time to figure out that these feelings I had...that they were because I liked you. No...because I loved you._

I waited. And waited. The silence was painful, but I could feel Jenny's shock, like needles through my veins. 

Why won't she answer? 

I finally figured out I loved someone. In all these years, I'd never known what that meant. To attach myself to anyone. Was it so wrong? Was a god never meant to feel this way?

I'd kill myself if she...

Then came my answer.

You...you're joking, right? Jenny stuttered. 

I was shattered. My heart had come to a stop, my face white. 

I couldn't believe it. 

Joking...a joke. That's what she thought this was. That's what she thought, was it...? That I'm a cold-hearted bastard who couldn't love anyone more than himself...?

I poured my heart out to her. And my response reflected on what I deserved all this time. 

I never did treat her the way I was supposed to. 

This...was the price.

What could I possibly have been thinking?!? I thought it was her I loved! But that couldn't have been possible, could it...? She wasn't the one who would bring me happiness...she hurt me more than I could bear...

...she hurt me...more than anyone else.

_Forget it... _I hissed angrily into her mind. _Just forget it._

Slamming the connection closed, I stood up. Picking up the laptop, my most prized possession, I hurled the machine against the wall. It met it with a satisfactory _crash!_

I proceeded to storm out of the room, tears streaming down my face.

But Byakko grabbed my arm. "YOU'RE NOT LEAVING JUST YET!" He roared.

Turning around with a vengeance, I discovered that he had transformed to his other form. The now humanized Byakko glared through me with cat eyes. 

"You baka..." he growled. Tears were starting to form in his eyes, as well. "What do you think you're doing to _us_, trying to run away? Do you have any idea how much love is worth?!? You leave it now, and it'll all be over!! Jenny was scared. She had a reason to be. Do you think it was the same as dejection?!?" His glare left me, to stare at the floor. "Look at yourself..."

I did. For the first time in those last thirty seconds, I realized that I was in my human form as well. "How...?" I whispered.

"You felt love, Suzaku..." The tiger god called me by my real name for the first time in the last few millenniums. "Your god form can't take that kind of emotion, that kind of pressure. The phoenix isn't strong enough...it's confused by its feelings, trapped by itself. But the man can love freely. Congrats...you are now more human than you are god...I think."

He let go of my arm. "You can go now."

-

~Jenny~

I couldn't believe it. Suzaku had just said that **he**...**LOVED**...**me**...

How was that even possible?!? Every constitution and law of physics in the world is against it. A god, falling for a girl like me...

I told him that he was joking. He told me fiercely to forget about it. What was this?!?

Was I on drugs?? If I didn't know any better, I would've said that he sounded hurt by what I said. 

It was so quick, so emotional, so..._unlike Suzaku..._to be this way. And he said HE LOVED ME. 

I can't believe this. No matter what I do, I cannot believe it. It must've been a dream. A nightmare. BUT SUZAKU DID NOT SAY THAT!!!

Maybe HE was the one on drugs...

_He's not._

I nearly screamed. WHO IS THIS?!?

_Byakko here. Listen, Jenny, and listen real good. SUZAKU WAS NOT ON DRUGS. He loves you for real._

I gasped. No...you're not serious...!!! But...why?

_You were the only one who was ever really courteous with him. You said nicer things to him than we ever did. He thinks you're the one for him, because no matter how much he tries to push you away, you never stopped being nice to him. And he never once denied that you were beautiful. He's in love with you, Jenny. Accept that._

I could've swore my face was blushing so hard, my cheeks were catching fire. He did not say that.

_Yep. Believe it._

Well...to tell you the truth, he had been acting better to me lately. Would you believe he called me "Jen-chan"?

_With Suzaku, I'd believe anything. But see, Jenny...he's busy moping around right now. I think you really hurt him. Don't worry; it's not your fault, but...ah, he, uh...thinks you rejected him._

WHAT?!? I was upset, big time. Oh, god, Byakko...I mean, Chiriko means a lot to me, too, but finally I find out that Suzaku loves me and he won't even talk to me anymore?

_Do you feel the same way?_

...yes...no one ever really liked me before. Not like that. I was nice to Suzaku because, underneath all that swearing, I understood that he was as lonely as I used to be. No friends, just a bunch of gods, a couch, and a low-quality TV. I figured he was rude because of that influence. But I guess everyone is capable of loving, so...yes, I don't think I have a problem with it. I couldn't comprehend what I was thinking, even as I thought it, but I supposed it was for the best...

_Good. I'll see if I could get him to come back. Meanwhile, I suppose I'll have to give you your weapon..._

My...weapon? Now fully over the shock of Suzaku's true feelings, I didn't mind changing the subject. What IS my weapon exactly, Byakko?

_I'm not sure, Jenny. I heard Taiitsu-kun say it was stronger than it looked, and...smells nice, but otherwise, no go. Now let's see...I'm sure glad this laptop's titanium-made; Suzaku nearly broke it! Now which program is it? They all look the same...scythes, pitchforks, shields...ooh, laser cannons...well, I'm pretty sure it wasn't the bondage leash; he only uses that for special cases...hmm...oh, maybe it's the - huh? Suzaku?!?_

Suzaku?!? I was shocked. You came back...so soon?

_Scoot over, Byakko. You don't know how to use my programs. Remember last time with the y3k bug?_

Oh... Words could not describe how relieved I felt, to hear his voice again and see that he's not angry. Suzaku, you really came back! Um...do you want to talk? 'Cause, you know, I could always-

_Forget it, Jenny. Just forget it. _Came the cold answer.

I froze. Oh... That was the same thing that he had told me the last time! He was still mad at me...but why? How? Didn't he think this over? Or didn't he realize that he had nothing to be ashamed of?

An apology was made...Byakko can testify to that. I didn't mean to do what I did...why was his heart still broken?

Maybe he still needed time... 

_Incoming weapon... _Suzaku initiated the program solemnly. _5...4...3...2...1!_

**BOOM!!!!**

_Shing!!_

Light erupted from the sky, and rocketed through the ceiling! 

The beams gathered together as they hit solid ground, in a radiant blast of rainbow colors, morphing into another shape. It was in the form of a ray, that flashed by me in a split-second instant, across my range of vision, and ended in a dazzling explosion in the living room. Hot smoke billowed through the whole cabin in gray trails.

"AAAUGH!!!" Came a loud cry.

"Oh, shit!!" I slapped my forehead. "MITSUKAKE!!!"

Rushing to the scene, I found the tall, clumsy seishi sprawled out on the ground, limps slacking and eyes wide with fear. "What...what is that?!?" He asked me frantically, backing away from the object.

I shook my head. "I have no clue...but I think it's supposed to be my weapon."

"Y-y-your weapon??" Mits was confused. 

"I'll explain later," was all I said. Entering the spot where the object had plummeted into the floor, I covered my mouth from coughing and waved my sleeves around, trying to wipe away the smokescreen. 

When the dark clouds finally pulled themselves away from the rectangular silhouette, like shadowy curtains unveiling, I blinked my eyes to meet...

* * *

**MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!! THE NOTORIOUS CLAMPRAVEN STRIKES AGAIN!!!!**

Gah...and you'll probably kill me for it. I know I can't be too off this time. 

I had given you a bloody boring chapter that goes against everything I worked for...Juri falling in love with SUZAKU??? You might say. NURIKO and KOURIN dancing amongst the flowers??? WHAT KIND OF F*CKED UP NONSENSE IS THAT?!?

Ehhe...I suppose you might not go that far. But I've left such an important detail unsaid that you have got to wait for the next chapter!! 

On the other hand, if you want to stab me serially in every part of the body with Hotohori's sword and hurl my dead corpse off a cliff...um...I'll post a replacement chapter.

-CLAMPraven 


	14. Conforming to Entitled Duties' Candles

**"Juri"**

**-from girl to oracle-**

**By CLAMPraven**

* * *

~ Conforming to Entitled Duties ~

Part 13 of the Legend of Juri - Candles

* * *

Valentine's day is approaching. And you wonder why I paired Jenny up with Suzaku. Heh. Everyone's getting into the romantic spirit...isn't that right, Suzaku...Suzaku?

_Suzaku:..._

_Suzaku: Blood is red..._

_Suzaku: CLAMPraven is blue..._

_Suzaku: Lanen's threatening her..._

_Suzaku: And so are you..._

_Suzaku: But she's getting near-sighted..._

_Suzaku: With typing all day..._

_Suzaku: She's tired, and angry..._

_Suzaku: So, put your mallets away._

_Suzaku:...please._

...uh...where did that come from? Were you actually supporting me, Suzaku?!? AFTER I PAIRED YOU UP WITH JENNY?!?

_Suzaku: (Shrugs) (Turns and stumbles off-stage)_

Oh, my gosh...isn't he a sweetie? Heheheh...I wonder why I didn't pair him up with myself. Oh, well. On with the story...

-CLAMPraven 

* * *

~Nuriko~

_"Come visit me again soon, Oniichan!" _Kourin waved goodbye to me happily as I stepped through the gate, out of her realm. _"Be nice to Suzaku-seikun! And try not to yell at Juri anymore!"_

I turned around to wave to her, wearing a toothy grin. I looked a little goofy, I know...but she didn't seem to mind, only beamed back at me. 

Kourin smile was like a ray of sunshine. I loved it.

After shouting our farewells, I sauntered through the portal, returning to the whiteness of Suzaku's heaven from Kourin's void in the afterlife. The dreamy abyss sealed itself behind me, slowly melting away from sight. Soon, nothing remained of that other world my sister chose to indulge in. 

At least I know she'll open it back up for me. 

Whenever I want...I could see her whenever I want now. It was almost like we were good neighbors; who would've thought that was possible? 

We were both dead now...it was strange. I had always thought that we'd both end up angels, reunited in eternal tranquility above the clouds, shielded by the warmth of Suzaku's wings, gazing lovingly down at our friends and family...how wrong I was...!! I feel stupid now. Heh. But in any case, eternal tranquility or not, I got to see her as often as I wished, and both myself and my little imouto are more than content with the arrangement.

Suzaku _was _good to us...

"Hey, Byakko!" I greeted the huge tiger as I walked around the couch. "What're you up to? Where's Suzaku?"

"Oh...hey, Nuriko-san!" He kindly gave me a lift onto the huge sofa (which was practically above my head; that's how big it had to be... - _ - ;;). "Sorry...Suzaku isn't here right now. You just missed him giving Jenny her weapon. You would never believe it...Suzaku's really upset because he thinks Jenny doesn't love him back..."

"Oh, okay...he's upset because - oh...MY F*CKING-"

"Don't panic, Nuriko -"

"HOLY SHIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" I screamed. NO. WAY. NO WAY IN HELL!!!! I couldn't believe it. NONONONONONONO...

"Nuriko, please..." Byakko was desperate now, "Try and take it in. Suzaku loves - "

"SUZAKU. LOVES. **JENNY...?!?!?!?!?**" I concluded breathlessly. 

Byakko nodded cheerfully, his furry head wagging. "Precisely!"

I feel faint...

-

~Byakko~

"Nuriko? Nuriko! Nuriko..." I got down on the ground beside him and shook his arm, but to no avail. Nuriko...was unconscious. Passed out. And not getting back up for a long, long time...

How was I going to explain this? 

Oh, well...letting go of Nuriko's near-dead body, I returned to the couch. Reaching underneath cushions and pillows, I managed to find my trusty earplugs. 

Jenny's about to find out what her weapon is. And boy, won't these earplugs come in handy when she does. Goody!

-

~Jenny~

The smoke had cleared, leaving me face to face with my weapon.

At first, I only stared stupidly at its rectangular shape. Its frame was made of a solid metal, possibly titanium. The corners of its four sides were framed with vines...grapevines, I think, carefully chiseled and crafted in. The metal grapevines ran up its stem, its frame, and wrapped around its convenient. handle on top. The whole skeleton of the shape seemed to flow beautifully, unlike much of its kind, even though it was a cubic shape. Its glass windows stared back at me, clear and transparent, revealing four small circular holders on the bottom. But the four small windows, although clear, were marked with four strangely familiar symbols, one on each side.

It seemed almost perfect...

Oh, my god...and I just HAD to realize what it was...

"A...A-A-A LANTERN?!?!?!?" I screamed in pure anger. "SUZAKU GAVE ME A **LANTERN?!?!? **THE F*CKING-"

_Ahem..._

I stopped. Byakko?

_Oh, geez... _I heard a small popping sound being made by Byakko...it suspiciously reminded me of someone taking off earplugs...hm. _Don't shout at the chicken!!! _The tiger continued to hiss. _He's going through his mental trauma thingy, remember?!?_

I cocked my head to one side. Oh, yeah...I'm sorry. I don't mean to hurt him any more than he already is. He can still hear me? That's amazing...

_What's more amazing is that MITSUKAKE didn't get a stroke from what you just did..._

Eh? I turned around to see a sweatdropping SD Mits with bulging eyes, glaring homicidally at me. "Oh! Sorry, Mits..."

The big healer picked himself up from the floor, dusted his knees off, and gave me a wry look. "By now, we've learned to expect things like this from you, Juri." He shifted his gaze to the lantern. "Is that...your weapon? You never said you needed one..."

I stared down at the lantern, and found something I never noticed before. It was a simple golden chain, small links leading to the round amulet in the middle. The chain sparkled in the light bashfully. And on the front of the amulet was my emblem...my kanji. Gold. Picking the object off the table, I hesitantly lifted it up, braced its tingling power, wore it around my wrist. 

I proceeded to answer Mits's question. "I didn't say it, 'cause I didn't need it. I did fine before, but I figured if I'm ever going to help you, I needed something that can make me a better, stronger fighter, instead of just a tiny strategist who doesn't do anything!" I explained.

Mits stared me strangely in the eye, as if I had just hurt his faith in me. "We would never offend you because you can't fight, Juri."

"But I can fight!" I complained. "I might be little, but with training, I can be a soldier, too! Don't look at me that way, Mits! I know I'm strong enough physically. See these muscles?"

But the giant only held up his hand, shaking his head silently. 

"That may be so, but...that is not what I meant. To be quite honest, Juri...you do not need any weapon to make you better and more valuable than you already are. You see, our soldiers have these elements that make them special, among their own personalities and bold attributes. We already have all the fighting advantage we need, in Tamahome, Tasuki, and Chichiri. Just because Nuriko isn't with us right now, doesn't mean we need more force. We need more vision. _You_ are our vision, Juri. You are our foresight...our hope. Our everything."

We were both silent for a while. 

I thought about it. Strength...like Nuriko's. Magic...like Chichiri's. Who didn't want powers like that? I had come from a dominant world...where little boys and girls swore at each other and pretended to blast their friends, shouting attack names from Sailormoon and Dragonball Z...naive. They were born knowing that power is everything, and yet only in make-believe can they ever achieve that power. What they would give to see ki erupt from their fingertips and mountains crumble at their will... 

Was I like that? Was I as greedy as that? 

I was given a chance for strength...I was the only child from my world that had come to the FY universe. I had a chance to become powerful...something everyone wanted...but I...

"It takes much to be powerful..." I murmured, staring at the lantern before me, "...but much more to turn down greed." 

Angrily, I raised the amulet into my field of vision. Although beautiful, it represented my greed...my lust. I had to destroy it.

Clenching my fist around the object, I proceeded to wrench it off...

...only to have Mitsukake stop me.

I was stunned. "...?"

The healer removed my hand from the object. "You've asked for this power...never waste what you have," he stated, and the shining golden amulet remained around my wrist. 

Both of our eyes met the lantern on the table at the same time. 

Then Mits turned to me. "It's not necessarily a bad thing, Juri, to want something. That lantern is a symbol of what you mean to us. Suzaku would never give you this if you weren't special and hadn't achieved what he put you in this world to achieve. You deserve it." He smiled slightly at my disappointment. "The fact that it's a lantern has nothing to do with it..."

"Well, I guess..." Slowly, uncertainly, I approached the lantern, reaching to grasp its handle. The moment I touched it, I could feel new force, stronger force, coursing through my veins and stunning my heart. Was this how being a Shichiseishi felt? 

Lifting it up, I was surprised by its weight. My eyes met the kanji symbols on the windows of the lantern...the ones I noticed earlier. And I suddenly remembered what I had wanted to ask Mitsukake.

"What do these mean, Mits?" I pointed out the symbols, holding the lantern up to the giant.

Hell...after gaining foresight, endurance, and the ability to speak with the Seishi, I still can't read Kanji. 

Damn it. 

For a moment, he only stared at it. Then his brows furrowed. "These are Shichiseishi symbols..." He answered in a mysterious tone, turning the rectangular object around carefully to view all four windows. "Nuriko's symbol...then Chiriko's, then mine and Hotohori's. This is very strange..."

I scratched my chin. This sounds familiar...Nuriko...Chiriko...Mitsukake...Hotohori...

And then it hit me.

They were the senshi who sacrificed themselves for Miaka...the ones who were supposed to die in the war.

With furrowed eyebrows and narrowed eyes, I thought this new piece of information over. The candleholders held no candles, and yet there are four round candleholders on the bottom of the lantern...enough for four... 

One for each dead Shichiseishi...!!

Even though only Nuriko had died so far. Where was I supposed to get the candles?

"Those who live are bathed in the light of others...those who die live by the candlelight of gods..."

"Wha - ?!?" I turned around to see that Mits was reading another inscription on the top of the object, which I missed. The giant shrugged when he saw me eyeing him. 

"That's just what it says...can you make any sense of it?" He asked me.

_Candlelight of gods..._ I heard Byakko muse. _Those who live are bathed in the light of others...those who live don't need candlelight. But those who die live by the candlelight of the gods...those who die..._

Those who die...need it! 

_They need candles. _Byakko confirmed.

They have candles!! I finished triumphantly.

The dead are the only ones who have the candles... I summed up, putting all my information in order, now fully aware of what I have to do. And Nuriko is the only one who's dead...so far. The candles I need are special, magical, and each one stands for one of these four seishi. They will give me my powers! But I have to find them first!

_Clever of you...and?_ Byakko asked.

Those candles are candles of death, so only the dead possess them. The others are not dead yet...I can't retrieve their candles yet. But I can get my first candle from Nuriko!!.

_And where will you find it?_

I clenched my fists, grinning. The exact spot where Nuriko died...in Mt. Black.

The tiger chuckled in my mind. _Damn, you're good...well, better go now. The portal's coming! _With that, he left me.

Yep, better get going, the portal's - **W-WHAT?!?!?**

I was paralyzed. "P-p-portal?!?" I screeched helplessly.

Suddenly, from out of nowhere, I heard a thump. 

"Huh?" Looking down, I realized that the book, that accursed, satanic book, had fallen into my outstretched arms. The lights had began to flash already in front of me, as the book opened up. The pages fanned madly away to reveal the portal.

"Oh, hell...no, NOT NOW!!!!" I screamed, nearly dropping the object. 

How dare the portal come at such a time?!? I had just about completed my task!! I got my new weapon, that redundant lantern, and my amulet...I was just about to get magic powers for real!! The candle...Nuriko's candle...it was so close!! And now the book calls me back home?!?

If I don't fetch that one candle now, I may never get a chance like it again...most likely, by the time I return, we'd already be a world away from here...I may never be able to come back. And I may forget where Nuriko died. 

How could this be happening...?

Byakko... I pleaded to the god. Please...don't tell me I have to go now! There has to be some sort of mistake!

But he only sighed. I'm sorry, Jenny...it can't be helped. The portal is unstoppable. Suzaku made it so that the book comes to you every time you receive any form of new strength. When Suzaku installed your first program, the portal came. Now you've come to the point where you have both your amulet and your weapon. You must go. The god paused. After all, it is in Suzaku's wish...

"TO HELL WITH SUZAKU!!" I spat.

The god was taken aback, and horrified to a silence. I didn't care. 

Suzaku...did he really care about me, or was he mistaken? I don't know, and I couldn't hate him more for what he's doing to me now. He's kidded me long enough. If he really cared about what I wanted...

I'm so damn selfish...but I've wanted these powers for so long! With them, I could finally help out the Suzaku Shichiseishi, even just a little! If I don't get Nuriko's candle, and this damned portal was what stopped me, what right does Suzaku have, to say he likes me? He's already broken his word...I hate people who break their promises. And Suzaku betrayed my trust.

I trusted him. Put all my faith in this one lousy god for my wishes to come true.

Why...?

-

~CLAMPraven~  
(Yep, you heard right, folks...)

I dug around in the snow frantically. Here, there, everywhere...as fast as I could. 

Taiitsu-kun wasn't just a nightmare...she was a living, breathing old granny/juggernaut, and possibly the ugliest bitch I had ever seen. If it weren't for her, I wouldn't be here, searching on my hands and knees in Mt. Black like an animal. 

"How hard could it be to find one lousy candle?!?" I hissed to myself, still brushing back snow.

The old hag told me to help this Juri the oracle out. The little girl was, apparently, the newest girl on the block, and apparently, Suzaku liked her. Oh, god, that shut me up completely. Suzaku liking anyone other than his own dirty self and his mediocre TV...?!? It was universally incorrect, to think he deserved ANYBODY. 

And what's more, this little girl Juri seemed to like him back!!!! 

It was the stupidest, most retarded situation I've ever heard of in my life. Juri (whose real name was Jenny...pheh) was supposed to be this really wise, intelligent kid as far as I heard. She supposedly was smart enough to leave Nuriko's death alone and to escape the avalanche with both herself and Tasuki alive. That itself is a feat, but she actually managed to save Chichiri along with all of this! She also managed to get (using Suzaku's bizarre affection for her) several powers, including, endurance, a magical amulet, and the ability to communicate with the seishi. Not to mention she also owns a dog.

That's all fine and dandy, peachy keen, of course; but SHE LIKED SUZAKU?!?

And I'm supposed to help this lunatic?!?

I can't help thinking back to how stupid it was, Taiitsu-kun making me do this and all... 

Just because I was a Nyan-Nyan doesn't mean I was some sort of all-purpose robot with sickeningly cute pigtails!!! I was Taiitsu-kun's most powerful, most efficient, and therefore most valuable Nyan-Nyan!! How could she treat me like this?!?

Hm...technically, I'm not even a Nyan-Nyan. I used to be human...then Suzaku sent me to this world just like the new Juri kid and decided to give me to Taiitsu-kun 'cause he hated my attitude....and my power.

I was very strong...very, VERY strong...I suppose it was my DNA, but when I came to this world, I automatically acquired magic, and one of the strongest kinds at that. I had the power to transform into various animals...I suppose you could call it an X-men kind of power, but it was really quite clever. Along with that, I was a real bitchy tyke...bickered mentally with Suzaku all the time!! I swear, I was some selfish kid back then...I wanted more power, even though I had a lot up my sleeve already. Suzaku was so fed up with my complaints, he nearly vowed never to bring another Earth girl here again.

So he gave me to the old hag. What else could he do?

I sighed, shrugged, and continued digging. Life as a Nyan-Nyan was really something. I looked different, of course...they couldn't change everything. But being a black-haired Nyan-Nyan had its advantages...

(thump)

"What the hell...?"

Backing off from my patch of snow, I stared at the spot, startled. 

There, in the hole that I had dug with bare hands, was Nuriko's enchanted candle, shining like an amethyst, radiating like the aurora. It was long, and narrow...on the cold, frozen stem of it was engraved the symbol _yanagi_...the willow. 

I just stood there staring at it for a while, admiring it. 

It was so bright and colorful...no wonder it was magic-made. 

Bending down, I scooped up the object from the hardened snow. After thawing it out of the very spot Nuriko died, its power was released upon the living world, its glow clarified. Putting it up to my sensitive nose, I gave it a sniff. It smelled...of lilacs, gardens, women's perfumes...not to mention what seems like mascara, but that couldn't be it! Hm... 

Yes, definitely Nuriko's smell.

"Well, Taiitsu-kun, you old hag..." I mused, "...and you too, Juri girl...this is your lucky day."

I held the candle tightly, as I felt my own power boiling up.

"_Karasu no mahou! Henshin yo!_" I hollered, my echo bouncing off snowy mountains in the distance.

Magic gathered around my aura, my bones shrinking and morphing, the sensation I've gotten used to after so long. Jet black feathers on wings jutted out of my back fiercely, while my hands become crude, gripping claws. My whole form was that of a bird...

In an instant, I had become a raven. The legendary carrier of death, plague, fear, and...lots of other annoying stuff.

~They don't call me CLAMPraven for nothin'...~ I thought as I raised my shadowy wings, hoisted my dark form up into the sky...

Now, where do I deliver this thing? Should be just over the valley! Hope I can make it on time...

* * *

...

...

Hehehe...heh?

-CLAMPraven 


	15. Conforming to Entitled Duties' History

**"Juri"**

**-from girl to oracle-**

**By CLAMPraven**

* * *

~ Conforming to Entitled Duties ~

Part 14 of the Legend of Juri - History

* * *

This is going to be a good chapter. I can feel it in my bones...eheheheheh...

Now that I've thrown myself into the big picture, anything could happen. Jenny's on her way home again, and CLAMPraven (Nyan-Nyan version) is hot in her pursuit with the sacred candle of _yanagi_. Plus, more insight on Suzaku's relationship with Jenny, as everyone's been asking for. 

And just where is this all going?

_Suzaku: Who's to say that anyone knows? You're making it up as you go! AGAIN!_

(shrugs) I don't see why not. I like the new changes. The readers like the new changes.

_Suzaku:..._

Suzaku, are you blushing?

_Suzaku: (obviously red)...whatever. But can you swear upon heaven, hell, AND the universe of the four gods that I will not be paired up with you in the story, under any circumstances?!?_

...Of course.

_Suzaku: Good._

Oh, Suzaku...how dare you think of such a thing? Heh...I'm only a black-haired Nyan-Nyan in the story. I'm much more interested in Suzaku/Jenny! (Grins maniacally) Hehehehehehehehe...

_Suzaku: .......-__- ;;; And all the worlds are doomed, with the laugh of the lunatic fanfic author. _

_Suzaku: The end, minna._

-CLAMPraven 

* * *

~Suzaku~

_Darkness..._

_My soul...my broken soul..._

_This was where it belonged after all..._

The realm was pitch dark. It was ironic, 'cause closing and opening your eyes weren't much different now. But even in this abyss that I've created for myself, I could feel my pain, and I could catch my falling tears...

Why can't I escape from this?

_Juri...Jenny...my angel...my devil..._

_Why are you taunting me, damn it...?_

_I'm sorry...I don't have anything left to give to you...anymore..._

_My heart has no more tears to cry..._

I closed my eyes (yeah, BIG difference) and reached out to pet the shadows, only hitting nothingness. I felt nothingness...I breathed nothingness...with a hint of my own pitiful sobbing...

_Don't bother, Suzaku... _I simply told myself , _you locked your own ass up. Don't expect **her **to come anytime soon... _It was true, wasn't it?

Grabbing a fistful of red sideburn, I proceeded to tear it out. But I couldn't...

My agonizing scream echoed against the monotone walls. Each and every pull and push...it was going to kill me if I locked myself in any longer...

_Freedom...why won't you let me go?_

_You're just a little girl...is this even for real?_

_Don't pout at me. Can't you see that I'm in torment?_

_My own torture...but how can you understand..._

_What do you know about love, anyway...?_

I had to get out of here.

"Leave me..." My hoarse voice finally commanded. "I don't need this darkness...anymore..."

Raising a poised hand, my godly elegance, I grasped the shadows, and tore them away. I clawed at the cloth prison that had succeeded only in draining my sanity for the past few days. Struggling, I pulled the mass of blindness away...

The curtain was raised. I stood in the middle of heaven's whiteness once again.

I rubbed my head feverishly, wondering if that made any difference at all...

-

~Jenny~

_The portal will open very soon, Jenny,_ Byakko urged me mentally, with a hint of worry in his tone. _What are you waiting for? You have to go soon, or else you-_

I'll WHAT? I snapped fiercely, kicking the snow underneath my feet as emphasis.

Byakko only sighed. _Jenny...don't you understand? The portal can't always be offered to you; it won't always be there._

What do you mean?

I was sitting outside on the porch steps, listening to Byakko's droning voice. The book was sitting on my lap, closed. I couldn't stand its blazing light. Or the fact that I had to leave.

I hated it. Nothing ever worked out for me. Why did I have to come at all...?

_The portal is a sacred thing, Jenny... _Byakko explained, no less than patiently, so as not to piss me off even more._ It appears to you whenever you've achieved some great feat, or earned a new power. Only then will it chose to show itself to you, thinking that you deserve a break. Think the 'Door in the Wall'..._

You read H. G. WELLS?!? I asked incredulously.

_I know enough about English literature to make an ass out of Suzaku, at least. (mental shrug) In any case, the portal is never in the same place, and will only drop out of the sky on certain occasions. Unlike the green door from the story, though, it **demands** that you go. It's a part of the legend that you're building, the chain of events, to go. And if you refuse it, there will be dire consequences. It was agreed by the gods, that rule...if you don't go, the portal will be upset. In a way, I guess you could say that the portal is a life, a soul. If it is disappointed with you, there are no guarantees. It may never show itself to you again. Then, you may never be able to go home..._

_And even the gods can't control that, _he concluded sadly. _Sorry..._

...It's okay... I replied, after a pause.. It's my own fault, wanting a weapon in the first place. And now I'm sitting here, sulking like a bitch because of it. I should've never asked at all.

For a while, we were both silent.

You're so reserved... I said finally.

_Hm? What do you mean by that?_ The tiger was confused. 

I mean...you're so much nicer than Suzaku. You respect me, and you usually don't even cuss, or swear. I have never heard you say the f word. You're amazing, Byakko.

If Byakko was blushing, I didn't know. What I heard was a shrill gasp. _You think? _

I nodded. Uh huh.

And it was true. Byakko was so much nicer in comparison to the bird that I doubted for a moment they were from the same heaven. I wouldn't know...he sometimes cursed about Suzaku, and made fun of the other gods (he had a right to do that...), but never said a bad word about me directly. I sometimes think he's cute. 

Back at home, I've seem some pictures on the internet of Byakko. Considering I don't own any FY items at all, and only get my info from the computer, that's pretty lucky, to find pictures of the white tiger. His human form was really something. Almost as cute as Suzaku-seikun. (I happened to have a thing for reddish sideburns...)

In any case, a great god.

You've really impressed me, Byakko-sama...

_Byakko...**sama?** _The tiger was even more shocked than before at my words. _You called me...Byakko-SAMA?!? _

He was impressed...I guess no one had ever been nice enough to say _that_ before.

I smirked. Don't get your hopes up that much. I even called Suzaku '-sama', back when he was in my head.

_Suzaku-sama...huh..._ Byakko murmured tensely, to my surprise. _You know, Jenny, Suzaku has been really upset. And I'm not joking with you. Do you know why he doesn't talk to you anymore?_

Um...'cause he's an arrogant bastard and he 's still pissed off with me?

_Worse...it's because he shut himself off into another realm._

Shut himself off?!? I stood up, enraged. That coward! WHY WOULD HE-

"**JENNY!!! YOUR DAMNED CANDLE IS HERE!!! **And my god, is it heavy as hell..."

"Huh?" Turning my attention from Byakko to the sky, I stood up, scanning the clouds for the source of the loud, obnoxious voice. 

"Where did that come from...?" I murmured.

And that's when I saw it. 

A raven. Perched on the roof's ledge. Holding a candle.

THE candle.

"HOLY SHIT!!!" The gigantic black bird exclaimed, to my utter horror, and started fanning itself with its huge wing, coughing, hacking, and gagging all the while. "That women's perfume!!! DAMN!! And I thought I'd pass out before getting here..."

"You can...talk?!?" I screeched, backing off. 

What the hell was this?!?

The raven stared down from the rooftop at me, and - could it be? - raised an eyebrow. Even though it clearly didn't have one. 

"You Juri?" It asked gruffly. "Don't be surprised. I'm an all-purpose f*ckin' bitchin' delivery service. Call me CLAMPraven." It unhooked its claws carefully from the stem of the violet-colored candle, which immediately dropped down to my open arms. 

"So..." It continued slyly, "...aren't you gonna thank me?"

-

~Byakko~

I gawked. "CLAMPRAVEN."

I couldn't believe it. I thought Suzaku killed her!!

My snout was now pressed up against the TV screen. It was a little hard breathing in this position, but I was just shellshocked at the moment.

"What the hell is this?!?" It was definitely CLAMPraven...I could never forget that little snotty grin. Even in her raven form, it was evident. It was the same little girl from so many years ago.

"Who's...CLAMPraven...?" 

"Huh?" I turned around to the source of the groggy, pained voice. Apparently, Nuriko had gotten up. He was now sitting up on the couch, rubbing his sore head, and staring at me. 

"Who's CLAMPraven, Byakko?" He repeated the question.

"So...you're over the shock of what I told you before? That Suzaku loves Juri?"

"..."

"Never mind..."

"Just tell me, Byakko. Who is she?"

"...well...it all goes back to about 4 years ago..." 

Heck, what could I do? The seishi was curious! And I needed the refresher course myself. Suzaku threatened me with mallets, anvils, and Barney the dinosaur that I wouldn't talk about CLAMPraven ever again. And that meant EVER. 

The chicken's serious when he's serious. But now that I know CLAMPraven's still alive, I feel that it's more than necessary...

"CLAMPraven's not really a raven..." I went on, a bit hesitantly, but Nuriko's glare urged me to talk. "She's a girl. A girl...not quite of this world. She's not from Miaka's world, either...but a different part of Jenny's world. Back when Suzaku first saw her, she was about twelve, just like Juri is right now...I was there, to see it...."

"Suzaku gets bored easily..." I had gotten rid of the 'Chicken' nickname completely. "Every once in a while, he'd try and lure someone from another world into the Universe of the four gods. That's what happened to Miaka and her friend, Yui, and how they became priestesses...in a way, Suzaku did it all to entertain himself...and further evolve the universe, of course...that was how he lured CLAMPraven in."

Nuriko nodded, acknowledging yet not really believing. "So the whole war...was a set-up?"

"Sort of...but Suzaku might have hidden reasons for it. I wouldn't know...he's reserved when he's not swearing, so we have a hard time figuring him out. But, yeah...it was his idea."

"Oh..."

I decided to continue. "The girl's name wasn't really CLAMPraven, actually...her real name is Hinamori Yohko, brought up by a Japanese family. Yohko's probably the exact opposite of Jenny. She's a smart-aleck...popular, too. She had boyfriends pretty much waiting in line. And she had no respect for anyone. You know...she rarely says one sentence without adding in a little something...You get the picture..."

"A stuck-up..." Nuriko completed. "I see...so why did Suzaku take her?"

"Because...Yohko was very pretty. She was beautiful...heck, Suzaku didn't even do any background research before inviting her into the world. She got her way with him easy. 

"But like I said, she misjudged Suzaku for just an annoying voice in her head. She didn't know about our universe at all, unlike Juri. And she misused the trust the Suzaku had in her...

"She had an amazing power, actually...Yohko had a natural knack for magic. It's just that magic was forbidden in Jenny's world, as her world already possessed an amazing weapon...technology. But upon entering the Universe of the four gods, Yohko's magic shone, and she discovered that she had the power to transform...into animals of her choice. Any animal she's seen, whether on TV or for real, she can pretty much alter her form into. In this world, that can be pretty powerful...

"When she saw this, Yohko was overjoyed. Soon, she took hold of this power with her dominant hand (taking consideration in the fact that she's a lefty) and started to tame the power within her. She had three most treasured morphs, that she used often...the fox, for its stealth and trickery...the dragon, for its size and ferocity...and the raven, for its wisdom and mystery. The raven was her favorite. Hence the nickname she gave herself, CLAMPraven. I think the CLAMP part came from a manga group from Japan that she liked...I wouldn't know. That's what she told me.

"The downside of it all was a change in her personality...an 'umph' in her bad attitude, if you catch my drift. She began to be really bitchy to Suzaku, saying she could do whatever she wants, and didn't need him at all. She couldn't care any less for the poor bird.

"CLAMPraven couldn't help it...she was brought up pretty spoiled. She was used to getting her way and yelling at people with little to no consequence. But Suzaku was upset...he desperately needed a friend, and he needed someone to talk to, above all. He thought that CLAMPraven could understand him. He really saw something special in that girl...

"But he was wrong..." I concluded. "And when Suzaku is wrong, he makes himself right...with a vengeance."

Nuriko was pale. "What'd he do to her?"

I shook my head, staring down at the floor. "I wouldn't be sure...Suzaku said that he killed her, that he made her fall off a cliff to her death, that he was real fed up with her and had no more tolerance for her ways. 

The purple-haired seishi had covered his mouth with a trembling hand. "No..."

I nodded in understanding. "When I heard that, I thought he had no hope for sanity left, too. Suzaku was terrible...but never this terrible..."

My eyes met the TV screen, once again, where CLAMPraven was admiring her work. "Now I can see that she's alive...I don't know what to think anymore..."

"I lied."

Gasping, I nearly twisted my neck to the familiar voice. 

"SUZAKU?!?" I cried, seeing the human shape of the god before me. 

The red phoenix was a mess...his hair was in disarray, his eyes puffed from lack of sleep, his lips dry. It wasn't the Suzaku I knew. I've seen him laid, drunk, and caught up in his Dr. Evil impersonations...but never like this...

And to top it off, he was in his human form, with his robe wrinkled and slightly torn. He looked even more demented than usual.

Suzaku had locked himself up in a darker realm for a while now. All the gods were getting worried about him. He hadn't come out for days! Up till now...and judging from his little show of sleeplessness, and the fact that his eyes were still bloodshot, I think I've got a pretty good idea of what he's been doing in the past little while... 

"What really happened to CLAMPraven?" Nuriko demanded to know.

"Nuriko!" I hissed. "Not CLAMPraven! NOT NOW!!"

"No...it's okay..." Suzaku mumbled, finding himself a place on the couch. Watching him limp around in his human form was painful. I had never seen him in such bad condition...he looked like every little step could crumble him. 

Gods can be extremely powerful when they're in human form, but they can also be extremely fragile and vulnerable. In this case, it's the lather. Suzaku's emotions took over his mind and changed him to a more suitable form. Only his human body can take this...but even his human body is now falling part. Not to mention his senses...

I sighed. "If you insist...what did happen to CLAMPraven, Suzaku?"

The redhead paused for a moment, as if trying to remember, then shook it off and rested his gaze upon the raven girl on television. Seeing the familiar face, there was a slight glimmer in his eyes. Tears found their way to his cheeks. Nuriko and I only watched on in anticipation.

"I lied. I know. I shouldn't have..." Suzaku began quietly. "It was strange...as if I was trying to convince myself that it was true, that she is, in fact, dead. But I didn't have the nerve to actually kill her. What I managed to do was sever the connection between us, just like I did with Jenny. I no longer talked to her, and instead of sending the portal to her, I decided to give her to Taiitsu-kun, to further train her powers...

"She loved those powers far more than she'd ever like me. When I realized that, I knew there was no hope for us, anymore...

"But even after all those years, I could still never forget her, nor replace her...not even Jenny...

"Yohko...CLAMPraven...was my first love."

I was shocked. 

What...?

For a while, we just stared at his somber face, trying to find some hint of joking. The we realized that the denial was useless.

"You loved...CLAMPraven...?" It was barely a whisper. "But...you...love...Jenny! You...you said so...! You said so!!" I was furious. "SUZAKU!!! You traitor!! What about Jenny?!?"

"I NEVER SAID I DIDN'T LOVE JENNY!!!!" Suzaku screamed, stunning me. 

Tears were streaming down the god's face now. "It's a different kind of bond!! I'll always love Jenny!!! Hell, she's the one who first showed me how to love at all, damn it!"

Suzaku was standing up now, a scarred and broken figure, towering above me, mad fire in his bleeding eyes. "Yohko was a beautiful girl, but her heart might as well have been a piece of f*cking charcoal!! She's like a ghost I can't escape...I would if I could, but I CAN'T!!! My bond with her is only as a god forsaken memory. I'll never love anyone more than Jenny. I would easily give up my immortality to be with her...she's the only one for me..."

I couldn't believe it. "Suzaku..."

Behind us, crouching in a mixture of both fear and awe, was Nuriko. His mouth was agape, his eyes widened. Suzaku's dedication was something that both scared him and won over him. 

...why didn't I use those lines on HOTOHORI?!? I heard him think in admiration.

-

~CLAMPraven~

"COME DOWN HERE!!!" The girl standing in the snow beckoned me, holding the red book in her hand. 

Down on the steps with her was Mits, holding her lantern and her candle for her. Red-eyed Chiriko-chan was barking up at me also, looking mighty curious for reasons I don't even want to mention...

"COME ON!!" Juri repeated. "Why won't you come down? I wanted to thank you!!"

"I heard you the first hundred times..." I muttered.

This was greeted with a pout. "At least tell me your name then!!!

I stared at the girl. Unbelievable. 

Taiitsu-kun didn't mention me at all?!? That motherf*cking hag...!!!

But the girl actually seemed interested! And she did sound thankful...

I looked over her. Her face was pale, like snow...her hair was jet black silk, her eyes a fiery red. Almost like Suzaku-sama's hair...

It was obvious why the god chose this girl. Maybe she didn't know it herself, but she was very pretty. And Suzaku...well, if I knew Suzaku, I'd say that's all that mattered to him. It was like a little bonus that she was super-smart as well, but it was never everything.

Suzaku...that girl was lucky he was in her head at all! But Taiitsu-kun told me that she ditched him, so now all she's got is the sentimental tiger to occupy her time. 

What a loss...

Then I realized it.

-

I have to show this girl the right path. 

Taiitsu-kun picked me for this mission, for a reason. I knew the true value of a god's love, because there was once a time when I was in her position!

When Suzaku left me, I slowly began to realize that my power wasn't everything. That I missed having his voice around to guide me. That he was truly beautiful. And that my beauty was only skin-deep.

I realized that changing from simple Yohko to CLAMPraven the Great was the worst decision I had ever made. 

And I lost him for it.

But this girl still had a chance. Suzaku still loved Jenny. I'm sure of it!! 

And if I couldn't have him...

If no one else cold have him...

I might as well play matchmaker for them...

Before they realize...it's too late.

-

From that, a mischievous smile hatched. I aimed this smile down to Jenny, who was pleasantly surprised my my turn for the better.

"Well?!" She yelled up to me again. 

Jutting my wings out swiftly, I flew down to her in an array of very pretty black feathers and shoujo bubbles. Perching on her arm, I grinned like an idiot.

"CLAMPraven. Just call me CLAMPraven."

* * *

_Suzaku: (glares at the part where it said that she was his first love)...CLAMPRAVEN..._

Hehehehehe...(laughs nervously) WELL, THAT'S ABOUT IT, FOLKS! Pretty cheesy, I know...

_Suzaku: **CLAMPRAVEN...**_

And remember, I'm getting nearsighted and I've even got more homework than usual! So PLEASE, be patient!!

_Suzaku: **CLAMPRAVEN!!!**_

COME BACK IN A WEEK!!! UWAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!! (Runs away from a fuming Suzaku)

-CLAMPraven 


	16. Dramatic Transition' Absolutely

**"Juri"**

**-from girl to oracle-**

**By CLAMPraven**

* * *

~ Dramatic Transition ~

Part 15 of the Legend of Juri - Absolutely

* * *

_Suzaku: ..._

_Suzaku: I have an announcement._

_Suzaku: Due largely to the overwhelming support on CLAMPraven's behalf, although I'm not sure why anyone would like the little bitch, I will stop using said bitch as my punching bag._

_Suzaku: Now, normally, I would pretend that I'd done this out of the goodness of my heart, knowing full well that's a load of shit, but... (holds up microscope) ...as of now, I can't really find my conscience anywhere... (double checks) when I find it, I'll tell you. _

_Suzaku: But after what CLAMPraven dared to do to me in the fic, I suppose I deserve SOME pity..._

_Suzaku: ...no one...likes me these days...(sob)...not you guys, not CLAMPraven, not even that Jenny character...(sniffles)_

(from offstage) HEY! SUZAKU?!? WHAT'RE YOU DOING?!? COME ON, WE'VE GOT A FIC TO START!!!

_Suzaku: ...(ahem) COMING!!!!_

_Suzaku: Listen to her. Like the queen of the world. Psht. Load of bullshit, I tell ya..._

(from offstage) SUZAKU!!! HURRY UP!!!

_Suzaku: (in mock delight) Whoopee! Ugh..._

(Suzaku limps offstage. Some indiscernible cursing can be heard, but let's leave it at that, shall we?)

-CLAMPraven 

* * *

~Jenny~

"CLAMPraven?!?" I repeated, disbelieving. My eyes were glued to the strange raven perched on my arm, with a cheesy grin plastered on her face, for who knows what reasons.

"Yep, CLAMPraven!" She confirmed, nodding happily.

"CLAMP...as in the manga group, CLAMP?"

"Uh huh!"

"The four ladies from Japan, CLAMP?"

"That's right!"

"The creators of Sakura, Clover, Rayearth and X, CLAMP?!?"

"One and the same!"

I wrinkled my nose. Now this was strange. "What kind of a name is that?!?"

The raven simply shrugged. "I've always loved CLAMP; this is like a tribute to the ladies! Even though they sure as hell aren't here to hear it...but my own name is too boring! Besides, it's catchy..."

"That's like saying Yuu Watase raven! O-o-or Moto Hagio raven! It's not right!" 

CLAMPraven simply stuck her nose in the air and side glanced at me. The smile was gone. "I didn't come here to argue with you over my name. Just call me Raven if you don't like the CLAMP thing! Stop being so bitchy about it. And besides, you haven't even thanked me for searching in the snow like a dog and delivering your stupid candle." 

My brows furrowed with anger, and I slapped the bird upside the face. "WHO'S THE **BITCH**?!?" I screamed in her face.

"WHO DO YOU THINK, **BITCH**?" She retorted fiercely.

"Guys..."

We both turned, with fuming faces, to a nervous Mitsukake. "**WHAT, DAMN IT?!?**"

"..." was Mitsukake's reply. A huge sweatdrop hung at the side of his anime head.

"In any case..." I turned back to the ugly bird. "...I guess I do own you _some_ thanks. But don't think I'm all of a sudden your best friend or something! You still own us an explanation. What are you? How come you can talk? And where did you come from, anyway?"

The more I stared at the bird, the more interested I became. It wasn't like a normal raven at all. It's actually slightly larger, about the size of a kitten, with a brilliant violet shine on its jet black feathers. At the end of each claw were actually polished pink nails, longer than hooks on normal birds. Strangest of all, one of its eyes were a passionate cerulean, reflecting the sea; the other was a light turquoise, reflecting the sky. 

Hands down, this was the strangest raven I'd ever seen. 

Almost reminds me of Count D from Petshop of Horrors, actually...(mental shudder) freaky.

She scowled at me. "Fine! I'll tell you. Just to let you know, though, you might be surprised."

"You see..." 

Her wings opened with a _swish! _"I'm not a real _raven_..."

I gasped. 

CLAMPraven was suddenly enveloped in a blast of phoenix red light. Her beak shrunk to form a small, delicate nose, while her talons extended to become legs. Her wings folded away into her now clothed back, her bones contorted and stretched, leaving in the raven's place...

-

~Nuriko~

My gaze shifted from Suzaku to the TV...

And my eyes couldn't believe what I saw.

"HEY GUYS!!" I screeched in my feminine voice, flapping my arms wildly...immediately drawing their attention.

Suzaku turned around to stare at me. His tears were now replaced by stunned surprise. It constantly amazes me what this guy can do at a drop of a hat. "What's going on?" He asked, raising a red eyebrow.

Byakko followed my accusing finger to the TV screen. The tiger's jaw dropped automatically. "Oh, my god..." 

But the phoenix god didn't seem surprised. "Oh, CLAMPraven's transforming..." He remarked, as if it didn't matter to him at all. "Is that what you're all screaming about?" Seeing the agreement on our faces, he chuckled quietly, dismissing it with a flick of his elegant wrist. "No big deal...didn't I tell you? When I gave Yohko to Taiitsu-kun, the old hag was afraid of a rebellion from her. So she just turned Yohko into a...slightly less formidable fighter...from then on, and forever more, CLAMPraven's basic and true form was officially..."

-

~Jenny~

A NYAN-NYAN.

One of Taiitsu-kun's custom made, butt-kissing, midget Nyan-Nyans.

As CLAMPraven stepped out of the wisps of enchanted mist that surrounded her, my first impulse was to scream.

My second...was to laugh.

"Y-YOU'RE A FRIGGIN' Nyan-Nyan?!?" I snickered. "...**AHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!**" Unable to control myself, I flopped down on the snow, clutching my belly and howling with tears.

Meanwhile, CLAMPraven was fuming. "IT'S NOT FUNNY!!!!" She screeched at me. Smoke was literally pouring out of her ears. 

'Course, I couldn't even hear her that well. I was busy thumping my feet on the snow in hysteria. 

A Nyan-Nyan. A black-haired, twin-colored-eyes Nyan-Nyan, shrieking and bossing me around with the voice of your average sophomoric bitch, and wielding the iron fist of a thousand whores. 

My god, was I getting a kick out of this...

That is, until a certain white tiger interrupted this special laughing broadcast.

_Jenny! CLAMPraven! Can you both please, PLEASE try and stay on task? The portal can't wait on you any longer! _Then, in a slightly quieter voice, _And besides, it's not even that funny..._

-

~CLAMPraven~

I picked up the red book which Juri has dropped. Seeing her condition, even Byakko-sama can't get through. And she probably won't be needing this in her trip to hilarity-fest.

_What the hell do you think is wrong with her?_ I asked the tiger, watching Juri make a total idiot out of herself.

He gave me a mental shrug. _She probably hasn't had anything to laugh about ever since Suzaku left her. Then again, you never know with Jenny. She laughs a lot when she knows nobody cares._

_But we do care._

_That's the whole problem!!!_

I sighed, opening the book and watching the red portal take form. "Bye Mits!" I gave a small, wry grin to the completely stunned healer. "Take care of that dog of hers, and the lantern, too. I'll need to talk to her about her powers for a while...expect us back in...well, don't expect us for a while. We could pop up anywhere. But she needs a very well-deserved break, if you catch my drift."

Mitsukake only nodded silently, grasping the lantern as if protecting it from the cold.

Beside him was Chiriko-chan, the dog. Strangely enough, he was still also. No last bark to send his master off, nothing. What he did do was snarl quietly at me and at me alone, something I managed to catch in the middle of Juri's guffawing. It was almost as if he threatened me, promising me a miserable fate if I let anything happen to his beloved little oracle. His red eyes flashed the sacred light of Suzaku as he glared, bidding us farewell.

I couldn't help but admire that dog. He was the only calm one. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that mutt had some sort of stray power within him, something that has yet to be discovered, but something powerful.

Oh well...I shrugged it off. After all, 'dog' spells 'god' backwards. And he's more serious than any of those four lunatics up there.

And just like that, the red light enveloped us both in silken wings...

-

~Jenny~

"Huh?" I stopped my laughing to look around. 

The light had vanished, leaving both CLAMPraven the Nyan-Nyan and myself in the public library once again. I was, of course, still collapsed on the ground, only now it was hard floor. People were staring at us, and at CLAMPraven in particular, who was still sporting her ancient Chinese clothing. I was also wearing a silk shirt, but that was all the Chinese I wore. She on the other hand, also happened to be a Nyan-Nyan. Not a good thing.

"We're back..." I whispered, staring up at CLAMPraven. "We're back in Toronto!"

She only continued scowling at her amazed spectators. "No wonder. The infamous T dot." She shrugged carelessly. "Still, heaven on Earth compared to Tokyo, I'm telling ya."

I shook my head. As I picked up the red book, I stared up to see the little kids (prepubescent boys in particular) from before clambering over my seat and my computer spot, playing around and clicking at the FY screenshots. Certain screenshots in particular.

"Eeeewww!! You can see her boobs in this one!"

"Silly! No you can't! There aren't any nipples! But you can see his ass!"

"Let me look!"

"No! I haven't see that one yet!"

"HEY! That's a GUY!"

"Hold on...is that the one they call Nuriko?"

"Nah...the web page says they're...um, Tamahome and Nakago. Must be gay if he's licking the other guy's face, though."

"Look at that!! The boy and the girl are making out!! The screenshot to the right!"

"KEWL!" They chorused.

My face was on hellfire. 

Mentally, physically, figuratively, and homicidally. 

Picking myself up, I approached the little perverts, nearly squishing the yanagi candle in the process. Every stomp shook the building.

"GET. OFF. MY. **COMPUTER!!!!!!!**"I roared furiously. 

"Nyah nyah!!" They stuck their tongues out at me in unison, nearly making me facevault.

What can I say? I just didn't like kids! 

So naturally, I did the only thing I could to at the moment...

-

~CLAMPraven~

"Hmm..." I flipped through the pages of one of the books I've picked up, ignoring the background screams as well as I could. 

(whack!)

"AAAAAUUUGH!!!"

(punch!)

"FFFF****CK!!!!!"

(kick!)

"MY MANHOOD!!!!"

(stomp)

"MOMMY.....!!!!"

"Shiloh. Hm. Well, any book with a beagle puppy should be an interesting read..." I said happily, holding out the book. "Maybe Juri will be nice enough to check this out for me afterwards..."

"**WHO ELSE WANTS SOME?!?!?"**

(kids crying)

I nodded. "Yep...I think I'll ask her now. Oh, _JURI!!!!_"

-

I happily flipped to page 102 of the book, as Juri muttered curses with a bruised eye. She roughly clicked every Fushigi Yuugi site on the Anime Turnpike, muttering about how most of the sites were just redundant little shrines to Tasuki and Chichiri. It wasn't especially useful, but she won't go to any other search sites, saying the Turnpike was the best one out there. 

I wouldn't know. Maybe back when I first left Earth for the FY universe, they just didn't have it. I keep forgetting that that was 4 years ago, and lots of things changed. Although I've never been to Toronto before, just seeing the year 2002 made me shudder, although I as sure as hell would never admit that to Juri. 

Back when I was twelve, the year Suzaku pulled me into the universe of the four gods, it was just heading into the year 1998. Hell, back then, everyone still thought that the world was going to combust at the strike of 2000. And there weren't as many animes out as now. The little oracle pointed out some of the new ones to me, but it wasn't like I cared. I preferred seeing the anime for myself to learning off the web any day. Money was no objection...my Dad used to own a business down in New Orleans, and Mom worked as a model; when I left, Dad's stocks were still sky high and Mom already got on a plane to go to her tour of France.

I guess I was glad to leave. Who needed all the commotion, anyway? I just wanted to be normal, as stuck up as I was...I suppose I've always wondered what Canadians were like. I thought they were like aliens before...apparently, Juri proved me wrong. 

I hoped all Canadians were like her. Tough, with a smidge of smart. Wise at a young age, but not afraid to beat little perverted kids senseless. And definitely not afraid to state her mind when she hates her weapon, or when she hated someone else. 

Could it be that Taiitsu-kun paired me up with her in this mission for a reason?

Because she knew I'd be a friend to Juri...?

Pausing to stare at Juri's profile thoughtfully, I couldn't help but feel like I knew her from a past life. Even though I only met her a little while ago, it was like I had already known her forever...

Like we were destined to be partners...

I blinked, snapping out of my trance. _Where the hell did that come from?_

Man...

"CLAMPraven?"

"Hm?" I turned to look at her once again. Only now, she stopped slouching and had a serious look on her face. _Like a general to an army...she looked like **Joan of Arc**, not Juri the oracle!_

"Look..." Reaching into her pocket, she brought out the candle of yanagi. Bringing her gaze back up at me, her glare was a determined one, one that I never expected her to wear. 

"What is it about this candle that makes it so special, CLAMPraven?" She questioned quietly. "What my weapon does...is that what you're hear to explain to me?"

"You really want to know...!"

"It's something I have to know. To protect the Shichiseishi, I have to master the weapon I wield. And you're the one who will teach me how to master it. How does it work, CLAMPraven? Tell me...otherwise, I have no need for you as of now. You may leave."

I frowned.

She was so firm, so...elite. Strict as steel in her decisions.

And her eyes...

They were burning. The fire of Suzaku.

"Now I understand..." I murmured. "You want to know because you want to feel Suzaku's energy. Suzaku gave this to you, a gift from the bottom of his heart, wherever that may be. Therefore you think, by mastering it, you will bring honor to his name, and you might feel his love again. Am I right?"

"..."

I sighed, shaking my chibi Nyan-Nyan head. "Young love...so much to learn! But I've got to admit, you've come through a lot. And Suzaku does have strong feelings for you. He might not talk to you anymore, but he's still watching over you. He's not the type to give up so easily...take it from the Nyan-Nyan."

Putting a comforting hand on her shoulder, I smiled. "You know, I always wished I had a younger sister who I can teach these things to. If I did, she would probably look a lot like you.

"The death candle is quite magical. It hides itself away, and sometimes buries itself deeper as time goes by. And sometimes, it may even lose its power altogether. We were lucky to get to this one in time. 

"Your lantern holds room for 4 candles. Four special candles, from the to-be deceased Shichiseishi. However, because the four soldiers were each given different powers, Mits with his healing, Chiriko's knowledge, and so on, the candles you must collect emit different energies, and are used in different situations. Each candle has its own neat magical attribute, kind of like the Shichiseishi themselves. Each one does something different. 

"In truth, no one except Taiitsu-kun really knows what they do, so there are no guarantees...'

"**WHAT?!?**"

"But don't kill yourself. She gave me clues. Those are all anyone has to go by. It's only a few lines; I'll tell them to you..."

"I don't believe you..." Juri growled. "I thought you knew perfectly!!"

But I wasn't listening. I held up Nuriko's candle to the light, watching it reflect the rays, like glass. My eyes were glimmering mesmerized. 

_"Violet-scented rain..._

_Touch as soft as silk, as enticing as sweets..._

_But as strong as hell..."_

Putting the candle down, I stared at Juri, who cocked her head, confused. 

"I think she was referring to the smell of the candle for the 'as strong as hell' part, but I didn't make it up. It's what the old hag told me."

"...?"

"Stop giving me that look, dammit."

"Sorry 'bout that...but wait!" 

Juri glared at me, shocked. If I squinted just a little, I could almost make out a lightbulb going off above her head. Either that, or a halo. I listened intently.

"What if..." She started, hesitant, "...the candle's power...is in its smell?"

I raised an eyebrow. Um... "What are you getting at?"

"I mean, like incense. Violet-scented rain, you said..." She grabbed the candle back from me and held it close to her nose, sniffing, looking all the more confident when she confirmed it. "The candle smells like violet perfume overall...it's Nuriko's favorite flower, too. And listen...it only smells like violet at first. But if you sniffed it really carefully, you'll see that it's a mixture of a lot of things. The lilac undertone is a touch as soft as silk, like you said in the clues! And the garden smell is as enticing as sweets! Not to mention the hint of mascara is as strong as hell!"

"Wow..." I was impressed. Taiitsu-kun was right! She WAS smart! Pretty brilliant deduction...even I couldn't figure that out! And now that I think about it, it's so obvious I could hit myself square in the face with Tasuki's tessen -while on fire- for not realizing it. But still...

"But it can't be mascara. That didn't even exist back in ancient China. Think!" I reasoned.

"Aha!" She yelled triumphantly, to my surprise. "But that's what makes it magical, isn't it? Think about it. The gods thought it would be only reasonable to put something like that into an enchanted candle!"

"...but the gods don't own mascara..."

"Hmm..."

For a while, we were pondering this in silence. 

Then, it hit us.

"**OH!!!!!**" We both screamed at the same time, jaws dropped and faces red. "**BYAKKO!!!!!**"

_NOT MINE!!!!! _The tiger screamed mentally. 

Is, too!!! Juri mentally screamed at him, loud enough for both of us to hear. It was kinda funny, accessing Juri's thoughts. Just like a very strange, naughty little chat line...

_IS NOT!!! _The tiger retorted.

IS TOO!!!

_IS NOT!!!_

IS TOO!!!

_IS NOT!!!! IS NOT IS NOT IS NOT IS NOT IS NOT IS NOT IS NOT IS NOT IS NOT IS NOT IS NOT IS NOT IS NOT IS NOT IS NOT IS NOT IS NOT IS NOT IS NOT IS NOT IS NOT IS NOT IS NOT IS NOT IS NOT IS NOT IS NOT IS NOT IS NOT -_

(BANG!!)

"Wha-?" Both Juri and I were stunned, searching for the source of the voice; even Byakko had shut up.

Suddenly, Juri's eyes widened. "Oh, no..." She pointed a finger, eyes widened in horror.

As I looked in the direction she pointed out, I found out why she was being so scared.

The red hardcover book had fallen off the computer table, and had flipped open. Red threads of light gathered on the page, where the portal started to take shape...

...AGAIN...

* * *

(watches nervously as the reader brings out twice the number of grenades that WW2 used up and aims them all at her) Ehheheheheheh....

_Suzaku: Maybe this was the revenge I was hoping for..._

SHUT UP!!! This was a lame chapter...I know...my worst one yet...

_Suzaku: That seems to be a common phrase nowadays, CLAMPraven..._

I SAID, **SHUT UP**, DAMMIT!!!! (brings out her mallet collection and whacks Suzaku shamelessly)

So, in any case, nothing much happened here. So what if Juri did a little more research? So what if she and CLAMPraven bonded a little? And so what if we learned that Byakko wears mascara?

_Byakko: NOT **MINE!!!!!!**_

Whatever...the important thing is that you forgive me, right?

(watches even more nervously as the reader brings out double the number of grenades) ...uh...

_Suzaku: I think she means, 'come back in another week'. And you know she's serious about it. And Byakko? In future chapters, try to keep personal information to yourself, 'k?_

_Byakko: NOT. MINE. **DAMMIT!!!!! **_(steals all the grenades and fires them at Suzaku) 

_Suzaku: 0.0;; _(burnt to a crisp)

_Byakko: Ahem. Now then... (takes out steak knife) Barbecue sauce, anyone?_

-CLAMPraven 


	17. Dramatic Transition' Critical

**"Juri"**

**-from girl to oracle-**

**By CLAMPraven**

* * *

~ Dramatic Transition ~

Part 16 of the Legend of Juri - Critical

* * *

No more reviews? (pout) Was it something I did? Was it something I said? Tell me, minna!!

_Suzaku: After delaying your chapter for a whole week, you got what you deserved. _

(Crying) Yeah, but I told everyone to come back next week...

_Suzaku: They thought you were joking! And besides, even if they didn't, you came up with such a lousy chapter that - _

YOU DON'T PITY ME AT ALL?!? (raises mallet collection over Suzaku's head) DAMN YOU!!!!!!!

(This is followed by a shameful amount of whacking on Suzaku's behalf. Don't worry, minna, their little conflict will be resolved, sooner or later...)

(Meanwhile, let's leave the bitching couple, and move on to the story...)

(Of course, reviews are always nice, and will save what is left of CLAMPraven's sanity and Suzaku's insurance.)

(Moving on...)

-CLAMPraven 

* * *

~Jenny~

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!!!" We both screamed in unison, clutching each other for dear life.

Stuttering madly, I pointed an accusing finger at the red book. "THAT BOOK IS THE DEFINITION OF SATAN!!!"

But of course, the red portal had already begun to gather and take shape. And it wasn't stopping for anyone.

CLAMPraven glared at me, still clutching on. "DON'T INSULT THE PORTAL!" Her Nyan-Nyan hand had whacked my face before I could think twice. "You bastard! You get the portal angry at us, and it'll never come back for us again!!!"

My eyes widened in shock as my hand went up to touch my face. "HOW DARE YOU?!?"

She only crossed her arms with a small _hmph! _as she sideglanced at me. "Don't think it'll be my fault if the portal leaves you here and never lets you see the Seishi ever again. To tell you the truth, I wouldn't give a damn if I was left here. My family is rich; I'll find them soon enough. You're sentimental, so you're a different matter. In fact..." CLAMPraven grinned smartly, "...you ought to be thanking me, putting up with you and setting you straight after all of the shit I took from you."

I scowled, still wincing from the slap she gave me. Which, frankly, was beyond ANYTHING I expected from a Nyan-Nyan.

As much as I hated to admit it, she was right. I was a little immature, but what could I do? 

The portal always interrupted me at the worst times. This time, my break was cut in half, compared to before. I couldn't believe Suzaku...

And after all this time, I still can't seem to understand why I miss that bird. He treated me lousily, and then in the blink of an eye, turns his frown upside down and practically proposes to me. I should be embarrassed after all of that, but I'm not. Moreover, I ought to be indifferent, cold, uncaring...

But the more I think about it, the more I realize that, maybe, just maybe, it's a reverse psychology thing. 

And as much as I hated it...

Could it be that deep down...

I actually...

"Excuse me."

My thoughts were interrupted by the little voice. Startled, I stared around, searching for its owner.

"Juri...you'd better take a look at this..." CLAMPraven tugged on my sleeve urgently; her voice was strangled.

It was then that I saw him.

The voice had come from a little boy, no older than about seven or eight. His eyes were glowing a spiritual blue tint, shrouded with intense mystery. Delicate, silken gold locks fell about his eyes and sharp commanding eyebrows, delicately wavering and weaving, entwined in one another as though it hadn't been carefully brushed. The honey nectar hair fell down to caress his lean shoulders freely, shimmering like liquid sunlight. His limbs were able, but thin nonetheless, covered with skin as soft as milk. He stood about 3' 4'', with the face of an innocent child and the expression of a china doll...strangely evil. In fact, if it weren't for the fact that he was clothed in t-shirt and jeans, he could've been...!

I blinked, as I realized, very fearfully, that the boy was staring in my direction. "Kid looks like Nakago..."

CLAMPraven noticed it as well. "You don't have to tell me twice! I swear, people these days..."

Despite the fact that we were both backing off scared in the direction of the now ** very** inviting portal, the boy was not unnerved in the least. In fact, he smiled. 

"I always knew it existed..." The boy sighed softly, never taking his eyes off of me. "The Universe of the four gods..."

I was puzzled. How...? "You knew about it? Fushigi...Yuugi?"

"I've _always_ known about it..."

Somehow, the calm, compassionate tone of voice he used only frightened me more. As he advanced towards us, my only thoughts were to escape to the other world. But it changed into a feeling of uncertainty as he extended his hand, a friendly gesture.

"I don't know who you are...but seeing as you're with a black-haired Nyan-Nyan - highly unusual -" He took his eyes off of me for just one moment to glance at a very bitterly insulted CLAMPraven, "...and the fact that you're wearing a magical amulet..." he gestured towards my golden chain, "...you must be on an important mission, whatever that may be. Of course, that is no business of mine, and normally I'd let you go on your way, but you are very suspicious characters. And intriguing, of course. With that said, perhaps I ought to introduce myself, since you don't seem as you are about to do so..."

Raising an eyebrow, I could only stare at the little boy. 

THAT was no little boy. Not with a vocab like that.

And that voice...! Now that I think about it...it's BEYOND the level of Hotohori's bass one!

Still, the kid did not withdraw his hand, only smiled a monotonous grin as he introduced himself. "Akiyama Hitori. It's Japanese, mind you."

Staring at him hesitantly, I furrowed my brows, wondering what I should do. 

But before I had time to do anything, the portal's light extended its reach, engulfing all three of us together...

-

~Hotohori! (FINALLY!)~

"**AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!!!!! MY ASS!!!!!!!!!**" 

The scream pierced through the halls of my palace, along with a flash of fiery red light, shattering the silence. 

I turned my head, shocked, in the direction of the shrill screech that seemed to have descended from MY private chamber. "What was that?!" I yelled, a frightened hand reaching for my weapon.

It sounded like a girl, and strangely familiar at that, and yet...

...not quite...!

The other Seishi were equally frightened. All except...

Tasuki?

The bandit only crossed his arms and shook his head. He was seemingly not the least bit disturbed by any of this. In fact, he was grinning, baring his fangs and chuckling like nobody's business. 

Chichiri noticed this odd behavior as well. "...Tasuki no da? Why are you laughing, no da?"

Tasuki lifted his gaze to meet all of ours, with a mysterious gleam that we couldn't comprehend.

"She's here..."

I gasped. 

"Impossible...do you mean...the girl? The...oracle??" I stammered in awe. It couldn't be her...I couldn't believe it!

"Believe it," Tasuki nodded confidently, as if reading my thoughts. Picking his pace, he trotted ahead of us, as if it were a casual thing to do. 

"I'd recognize that cursing anywhere..." He tossed behind his back. "You guys better follow me. If I know Juri, she's gonna get into more trouble than she's worth...and as much as we've gotten used to her being like that, it's not the best thing to do, ne? Well..."

I stared at his retreating back. So did Chichiri, Mitsukake, and Chiriko, the three other seishi with us. Even Tama-neko rose an eyebrow.

Chiriko was the first to react, with a blush that lit up his whole face like fireworks. 

"JURI-SAN!!" The boy exclaimed, jumping up and down. "Oh...we haven't seen her in so long!!! Come on, Mitsukake! We'd better tell Miaka and Tamahome! Oh, wait till they hear the news...!! And Chiriko-chan will finally get to reunite with her! Come on!!" 

With that, he dragged a stumbling Mitsukake along by the sleeve, who only shrugged at me before advancing along with him. Pretty soon, they were out of sight behind the other palace servants, leaving me to chase after the bandit, all the while wondering the question on everyone's mind...

Has Juri really come back?

-

~Tasuki~

I stopped dead in my tracks. 

My perception was mostly right, as far as I was concerned. In Hotohori's private chambers, the source of the scream, the center of attraction for the frightened scribes and handmaidens, was a very angry Juri. Wearing her usual scowl, not to mention the exact same clothes she had on when she left us, the little oracle sat up from the carpets, rubbing her sore head and muttering swear words like nobody's business. 

Of course, that was expected.

What I didn't expect...was the other two.

Laying on the floor beside her was...as surprising as it was, a black-haired Nyan-Nyan, who had also managed to recover from her fall. Frowning at her spectators, the little servant of Taiitsu-kun made a face, and, mumbling a few curses, lifted herself up. She looked a lot like Juri...except with her hair in buns and half the height. 

And her eyes...they were two different colors...!

Must be the one Mits told us about...what's her name...CLAMPraven, I think...

The third of the three was a total stranger, and possibly the most intriguing. The little girl was wearing clothes from Juri's world, and for a while she just stood there, staring at her surroundings and nodding to herself. She couldn't have been more than eight years old, though she is a bit high. Her hair was a brilliant blond, shinier than gold. As a bandit, I should know...

As she turned around to face me, I was hit by shock. My jaw dropped, and I was limp for a second.

"Tasuki!" Hotohori entered the room at that same moment. 

Seeing the girl, he also froze in horror. "T-t-that's...no way...!!!" He murmured, backing off in fright.

By now, Juri had already stood up, fully recovered from the portal ride, and was looking at us, puzzled. "Tasuki! Hotohori...what are you both staring at?" She questioned, confused.

"H-H-HOLY SHIT!!!!" I finally managed to sputter, after what seemed like a minute. "**FEMALE CHIBI-NAKAGO!!!!!**" 

After finally realizing what I meant by it, embarrassment appeared on Juri's features in the form of a **very **large sweatdrop. Staring at the blond girl, who was happily chattering with the handmaidens and didn't seem to hear at all, the sweatdrop was multiplied by a thousand. Turning back to us, and fidgeting with her fingers, she sighed tiredly...

"Ano...Tasuki...that was my first impulse, too..."

-

"IT'S A GUY?!?!?" I screamed in horror, never taking my eyes off of the blond girl - er, boy.

What the hell was this?!?

All of the seishi had gathered into the royal chamber, except Chiriko, who had sped off to find Chiriko-chan, the dog.

Everyone was delighted to see Juri back safe and sound, especially Miaka, who immediately pounced on the little girl and gave her a sumo bear hug. Of course, the girl, though looking exasperated and tired, not to mention bruised up for reasons we don't ask (something about perverted kindergarteners...), had to explain once again the events that happened to her on her second homecoming. 

The Nyan-Nyan, CLAMPraven, was given an equally warm welcome, especially from the young Chiriko, who had never seen anyone with different-colored eyes before. She wasn't exactly cute...if you catch my drift. A bitchy little bitch, to be honest...but, hell, I guess Juri knows best, ne? Besides, she was already starting to grow on me...

That only left Chibi-Nakago in the corner, who we had a much harder time trying to figure out...

"I...can't believe it..." Hotohori, holding his forehead and mumbling nonsense, looked as if he were about to faint. (This, I wrinkled my nose at.) "There's another male in the kingdom more beautiful than I?!?And a mere CHILD, at that?!?...NO...**IT'S NOT POSSIBLE!!!!**" 

Mitsukake sweatdropped as the young emperor cried relentlessly on his huge shoulder, looking ready to tear his hair out. Turning, he shook his head knowingly at Juri. "I've said it once, and I'll say it again...I can't cure the heart. Not in HIS condition, anyway..."

Juri only sighed heavily in return, a more Juri-ish expression working its way to her face. "I know..." 

Once again, her gaze was fixated on the youth, who had stood away from the Shichiseishi in the room, preferring to look around at the furniture. "To tell you the truth, guys..." She turned back to us, her tone mysterious, "...we...don't know anything about him, either..."

My eyes automatically bugged out of their sockets. "**NANI?!?!?**"

"Tasuki no da..." Chichiri tried to grab my arm, but I was already standing up, chair pushed back, my tessen in hand and ready to kill.

"WHY THE HELL DID YOU BRING HIM THEN?!? JURI?!?!"

Juri stood back in careful precaution, snapping her eyes shut even before I swung my fist... 

"Tasuki... -;;" 

(CRASH!!!)

"Tasuki no da... -;;"

"**LEKKA...**"

"TASUKI!!!!!!"

"**SHINEN!!!!!!!!!!!**"

(ROAR...)

(...sizzle...)

Before I had anything to say about it, oni boy no baka had already been burnt to a crisp, as well as everything within five feet of him. For a while, I just stood there, stunned, then broke into a fit of laughter at the sight of barbecued Tamahome while everyone else practically broke into tears.

"...BAKA!!!" I squealed, when I caught my breath, bashing my tessen against the table. "Why the hell did you get in the way, damn it??? AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

"...**TASUKI**...!!!!!!!!!!!!" The charcoaled seishi screamed like a girl, spewing smoke and ash on the carpet. "Okay! THAT. IS. IT!!!!" Grabbing me by the shirt collar, he was all the more agitated when I grinned like an idiot, fully fanged, with no remorse whatsoever. "I swear, I'm gonna -"

"Tamahome!!!" Miaka broke up the fight. Hands on hips, she glared at her boyfriend. "How could you?!? And on Juri's first day back, too!!!"

Oni boy stared back in disbelief, an innocent expression on his face. "WHAT DID I DO?!?"

Juri groaned. "Why did I even come back...??"

CLAMPraven shrugged. "I dunno. Why the hell did you come back?"

"CAN EVERYBODY PLEASE, **SHUT UP?!?!?**"

Everyone immediately froze by the sound of the deep, booming, but apparently very pissed off voice. 

After a minute, we finally figured out just where it came from. 

"W-W-W-WHAT THE HELL?!?!?" I screeched, glaring at Chibi-Nakago. "**YOU**...?!?!?!?" I pointed a shaking finger at the little boy. "THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE, DAMN IT!!!!!"

The little boy crossed his arms in defiance, and narrowed his eyes at me. "Better believe it. And stop calling me Chibi-Nakago."

Hotohori clapped a hand to his head, to keep himself from screaming in terror. "AND HE HAS A DEEPER VOICE THAN MINE!!!"

"..." Nobody had an answer to that.

The child stared at each of us in turn, then shook his head disapprovingly. "Suzaku Shichiseishi...you are truly dim-witted. Have you no idea what has been going on? After all this time with Juri, the young maiden oracle...the conspiracy that had unfolded under your noses has gone unnoticed." He furrowed his brows. "And now that I've gotten to see you all, especially YOU, Tasuki...I can easily understand why."

"HEY!!!" I yelled, defending myself. "What the f*ck do you mean by that?!?"

"Yeah! What conspiracy do you mean?" By now, Chiriko had come into the room, holding Chiriko-chan's leash. Though his eyes lit up at the sight of his master, the dog's face broke into a snarl at the blond kid's appearance. Though Chiriko-chan didn't struggle, his anger was obvious...almost as if he knew, better than us, what was going on, and had decided not to do anything to hinder it.

"I'll tell you what conspiracy I mean...I mean the conspiracy that could've been prevented, the conspiracy that has now accidentally set off a chain of events that was never supposed to occur. Indeed, the future of this very universe has been altered...and by your own oracle, Juri."

Near me, Juri gasped. Gathering her courage, she approached the child. 

"What do you mean...?" She cried indignantly. "I...I let Nuriko die. Yes, I let Nuriko die. It was all because I didn't allow anyone to interfere with that..."

Shadows crossed her face at that memory. "It was the most difficult trial Suzaku ever demanded me to overcome. I loved Nuriko as much as the next Shichiseishi. But I left Nuriko's fate alone because I knew that if I saved him, I would change the future. And I didn't. I know I didn't!" She glared, her red eyes glowing fiercely. 

"I am the only one capable of changing the fate of any of these Shichiseishi - " she indicated with a wave of her arm, "- and as an oracle, I had followed my duties in strict obedience, not letting my emotions get the best of me in any situation. I had never interfered. How could you say that?!"

I stared at Juri, unbelievingly. The tessen had fallen out of my grasp.

She was pained...hell, she was more pained than any of us..._back then_. Oh, sure, when she laughed at the funeral...now that was something else. She must've found out where Nuriko ended up on her own time. But before that, she was fighting a war with herself, duty vs. love. How reason won that battle, I would never know. And she's gained even more wisdom from that experience now...who would've thought that was possible?

But the blond child paid no heed to any of this.

"That may be so..." he replied, unfazed. "And, to be sure, it is somewhat true...you had not wished to betray your duties...yes. Your intentions were often very good, very good indeed. However, accident or not, you had changed the future to such an extent, what you know about Fushigi Yuugi will no longer help you...the future is not what it was destined to be...no longer. You had stumbled into a crisis that could cost you your ability to guide the Shichiseishi altogether, because, after all..." his eyes gleamed black, "...an oracle isn't an oracle if she can't predict the future, ne?"

"Then just spit it out already," CLAMPraven spat scornfully. "Then drag your I've-got-a-katana-stuck-up-my-ass attitude out of here. We don't need it." 

He smiled silently. "I'm glad you asked that...

"I, Akiyama Hitori, had been sent forth by the greatest force in this universe. Greater than Suzaku, Seiryuu, Genbu, Byakko, Tenkou, or all of them combined. That is to say..." 

He grinned, "I was sent forth by the great creator herself..."

"WHA-?!?" Juri and CLAMPraven stumbled back in unison, shocked. "YUU WATASE?!?" 

The boy nodded.

"NANI?!?" All of the Shichiseishi turned their heads, puzzled. "Yuu...Watase?"

"I was born out of her mind..." Hitori went on. "One stormy night, Watase-sama dreamed of me. This isn't hard to believe...I was born from the same character design as Seiryuu seishi Nakago, hence the likeliness.

"You see, Watase-sama didn't know that she had created a real universe when she dreamed up Fushigi Yuugi. She simply figured that she had another idea that would satisfy fanboys and fangirls everywhere...not something to drool over as if it were real. But the fact of the matter is, all anime, long or short, legendary or just plain lousy, original or ripoff, had a universe of its own, sometimes sharing with another anime of the same creator, or many other anime likewise..."

"N...no way..." Juri muttered in disbelief.

"Nani...?!?" My head spun with all this information. Anime...? Yuu Watase...? Fanboys...fangirls??? What the hell???

Hitori continued nonetheless. "But Watase-sama mused about her own anime more than she liked. She had many dreams about it. One night, she dreamed of me...a young soldier whose only duty in the world of Fushigi Yuugi was to prevent any relationships between the four gods in this universe and the mortals. Since the gods are of pure descent, they cannot be allowed to have contact with any human, whether from this universe or otherwise...

"Of course..." he shrugged, "Watase-sama realized how similar my character design was to her dear Nakago's, and chucked me in the garbage. But before she had time to get me out of her mind completely, I had already found my way on paper, where I entered the universe for myself...as a 2-dimensional character, but then again, who can tell the difference nowadays?

"Since then, I had always managed to follow my duty, never allowing any god to touch any human, girl or boy, woman or man...even Seishi weren't an exception. Of course, these conspiracies occasionally led me out of the universe of the four gods, leading me into other anime universes. This is why you see Nakago look-alikes around all the time...sometimes it's me. This also explains why you found me in your world, Juri, and why I seek after you. You see, it would seem..."

He paused. "You have changed the future of this universe, because you have touched the heart of a god...

"Suzaku's in particular.

"You, young maiden oracle, have committed a heavenly crime. Being involved in a relationship with any god is beyond you. In your case, falling in love with the phoenix god himself!"

* * *

It's about time I changed some of my policies. 

For one thing, the disclaimer. I don't own Fushigi Yuugi, Yuu Watase does. I don't own Yuu Watase, Yuu Watase does. I do, however, own Juri/Jenny, Hitori/Chibi-Nakago, Chiriko-chan, and of course, myself. I also own the weapon idea for the lantern and candles - don't any of you bastards take it!!!

And of course, my chapter deadlines also need changing. Yes, I know, this week I suck because I caught the flu virus going around, so I was a little late posting this chapter. Nevertheless, a good chapter, and I will post another one next week, then another the week after, and so on. Do not give up hope on old CLAMPraven...(coughs)...even though (hack) that might seem like the thing to do these days...

_Suzaku: There, there, CLAMPraven...here, have some Tylernol..._

Oh, thanks, Suzak - hm? Oh...hey...isn't this the arsenic bottle...?

_Suzaku: Oh, shit! You can still see!!! Oh! I mean...of course it is... - _ - ;;; ...damn, and I was real close that time, too!.._

-CLAMPraven 


	18. Dramatic Transition' Discomfort

**"Juri"**

**-from girl to oracle-**

**By CLAMPraven**

* * *

~ Dramatic Transition ~

Part 17 of the Legend of Juri - Discomfort

* * *

Oh, the horror...pure 100% hell, crammed in one day. Flu and fever, coughs and constipation...(groans)...damn it...still sick!!!

_Suzaku: ...THAT didn't sound right._

..............(cough) (sniff) ..............................Suzaku, get your mind out of the gutter. Don't you worry about me at all???

_Suzaku: Bitchy. Never mind..._

_Suzaku: Today, the first of March...little CLAMPraven's fever had only gotten about a thousand times worse, scaring away any friends and readers she has left and hereby sentencing me in charge of her medicine. (Grins evilly) Lanen, call this your moment of glory. Watch._

................(turns blue) I don't feel so good....................shit....................Suzaku, what did you put in that white powder - (HACK!!)

(CLAMPraven collapses on the floor; Suzaku's happy as hell, dancing in circles, wielding a pitchfork and all...)

_Suzaku: She left the anthrax bottle out in the open!!! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA - **WHA?!?**_

(CLAMPraven gets up, slack-jawed...surprise, surprise, minna!) 

Suzaku...(holds up bottle)...I am a sick woman. Why are you feeding me...baking powder?

_Suzaku:..............................DEMON!!!!!!!!!!!! DIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIE...(whacks with mallet nonstop until CLAMPraven is pummeled 500 feet deep into the ground) Phew...man, she was right. I **am** illiterate! Why the hell do I always get the wrong bottles? In any case..._

_Suzaku: Since CLAMPraven's obviously...(looks down into the deep pit)...um, preoccupied, I think **I'll** write the story today! Yep, that's right, everyone! It's just you, and me, and (looks down again) well, CLAMPraven and the naked mole rats feeding on her dead carcass. But never mind that. Let's see what I can make of the story situation, shall we?_

_-Suzaku! _

* * *

~Jenny~

My world shattered and collapsed at his words...what little breath I had escaped my lungs...

_"Being involved in a relationship with any god is beyond you. In your case, falling in love with the phoenix god himself!"_

He knew...he knew about what Suzaku had said to me...

And now...

I looked around frantically, to meet the shocked and grief-stricken faces of my friends. I felt like my knees were going to give away any second now. How could I make them understand that it wasn't my fault? It wasn't...it wasn't... But now, even my own reasoning sounded like pitiful excuses in my head. Guilt spoke more harshly than the truth...

Miaka, eyes wide with disbelief, clutched onto Tamahome's shirt and stared into my eyes, shaking her head as if to deny the whole thing. Tamahome had clutched the miko in what seemed to be a warm embrace, but his expression told me it was a protective gesture. 

My eyes lingered on the couple. I was on the verge of breakdown. Was I a criminal? Was I still an oracle? 

Do I...do I belong here? 

Tearing my glare away from them, I stared at everyone else, not believing what I saw. 

Tasuki's jaw slackened, his fangs jutting, his tessen fallen from his hands; he had fixed me with a look that filled me with remorse, a look I had never expected from him. So had Chichiri, who had removed his mask and stared at me with his lone eye, though his gaze was more of confusion and sympathy, a gaze I couldn't accept and couldn't return. Hotohori's grip tightened on his sword, his imperial instinct telling him harshly to act on what he had heard the blond boy say, though he couldn't seem to accept that I could ever commit such a crime. Mitsukake, as silent as he ever was, perhaps more so, refused to look at me at all, though he had the look of a man who regretted not realizing sooner. 

I didn't even bother to look at CLAMPraven. She had no return look for me. She was a Nyan-Nyan; she understood. She knew already. Although if I did look, I feared she had nothing else for me but sorrow in her twin-colored eyes.

When my gaze stopped at Chiriko, I met a sight that broke my heart.

The little Shichiseishi had let go of Chiriko-chan. His eyes, once filled with stars, now flung a stare at me wild with incredulity. His hair had fallen out of place, but he didn't brush them back. His arms were shivering, his face pale, but he did nothing to regain his self-control. All around him, his aura was dying down. All he needed was to stare at me with those eyes, once innocent and childish, and now brandished with a hatred that I will never forget for as long as I live.

Even as I stood there, I only saw his eyes, and the extent which I had betrayed him...and betrayed everyone.

"Chiriko -" I began, but froze.

Clasping a hand to my mouth, I felt my blood turn into ice as those memories of the days in Mt. Black raced back into my mind. 

I mouthed a silent _no _as it finally came back to me, a perfect picture. Chiriko...oh, Suzaku...forgive me for not seeing this sooner...

_Chiriko blushed in embarrassment, but my gentleness only reassured him. "You really are the girl Miaka's been talking about all this time..."_

This can't be happening...Chiriko...y-you used to...

_Chiriko eyes were huge. "That's incredible!" he gasped._

_I smiled. "Yes, it was." I had a feeling the small boy was trying to impress me. It was...strangely cute._

...how could I...forget about you...?

_"Ah! Juri-san!" Chiriko saw me as he turned his head back, facing my direction. The little boy's face immediately lit up as a thought played in his mind. "You can have my horse if you want, Juri-san! I can walk!" He suggested eagerly._

Suzaku wasn't the first to offer his love to me...it was...

"Why..." Chiriko's strained voice cut into my thoughts like a knife. Tears streamed down his face in hurt, as he sobbed, more harshly now than before. "Why...didn't you tell us? Why...why didn't you tell _me_, Juri?"

...it was Chiriko. **Chiriko **was my first love.

I had no answer for him.

And I was so sidetracked by Suzaku's pretty face, I forgot about him...how could I...? I felt tears coming to my eyes as well. Struggling, I tried to remove my gaze from Chiriko's face, but I couldn't. My guilt had already taken root...

...in those beautiful, miserable eyes...

I don't deserve Suzaku...I don't deserve Chiriko...I...

He ran out of the room, sobbing...

...deserve...

I ran after him, screaming his name in vain...

...no one...

...

-

~Suzaku~

I sat alone, watching the television.

Okay...so Genbu was still behind the couch, with a camera strapped to his back, but I'd like to think that he's not there. 

As I watched Chiriko run out of the room, and Juri's reaction, I started to reminisce.

The two of them were great friends. Oh, sure, Juri always knew he had a crush on her, and didn't take it very seriously. Chiriko didn't either, at first. It began as a sort of happy, puppy love scenario. Perfectly fine, of course. But then, on that day when everyone returned to their camp at the base of the mountains and found Juri gone, with only a lantern to remember her by...

I sighed. If only Juri had seen Chiriko's reaction. The little boy was in hysterics; he couldn't believe it. Even when Miaka reassured him that Juri will be back, he could not be certain...what if she had been gone for real? Just when everything was starting to come together for him, when he and the girl from the other world were starting to bond...

He daydreamed about the black-haired girl with red eyes of mystery every single day, then dreamed about her in his sleep every single night. He polished her lantern and kept it in mint condition; he kept her Chinese clothes tidy in case she needed them when she came back to him. He groomed, fed, and even bathed Chiriko-chan, never forgetting the smile on Juri's face the day she named the dog after him...

To be certain, he never started loving her for real until she was gone. 

I tugged on my scarlet sideburn in deep thought. 

I was a god...I had everything. I had the looks...hell, the best out of all the four gods, to be sure. I had the body...who can ignore the body? I had power...beyond imaginable power, because as a god, I was the supreme being. And, of course, I owned heaven. 'Nuff said. Well, at least a small portion of it, anyhow...

Chiriko was just a boy.

But shouldn't love be able to outweigh all these things?

"...do I love her enough..." I whispered quietly, "...to deserve her after all the pain I put her through? What if she really wasn't the one for me?"

Chiriko was the one who really felt for her...

Did I deserve her at all?

I won't rest until I find out, that's for sure. Maybe it's time I had a little talk with my lovesick little Shichiseishi...

-

~CLAMPraven~

Chiriko and Juri had both ran out of the room...

I watched them lifelessly. 

If you concentrated enough in that room, ten seconds ago, you would've felt the weight of Juri's tears, and heard Chiriko's heart breaking. Perhaps, if you remained still enough, you would've sensed my pity go out to the both of them.

Whatever just transpired, was only emotional torture. I couldn't understand what it was truly about literally, because there must've been more than meets the eye with those two; the most obvious guess would be that they had a relationship before. Anyone who saw that could've told it. What relationship they shared, and to what extent, I don't know. For all I cared, they could've just been sibling-like, Chiriko acting in as the younger of the two even when he's not. But whatever the case...

I could tell that while all the other people in that room ten seconds ago were feeling confused and angry for the obvious, Chiriko was sorry because of something deeper...

The silence was broken when the blond boy decided to speak up again. 

"That boy..." he began in a low murmur, "...he had once loved and failed Juri, hadn't he?" His voice was far away, not stern and commanding like before.

Chichiri nodded beside me; his mask still lingered in his hand. While his mask was an image of chibi silliness, his real face was one of passive beauty. 

"Chiriko had feelings for Juri, ever since he first saw her; he tried to be with her, and although we had thought that it was just fun at first, after Juri left for her own world, it blossomed to the point where he thought about her everyday. She soon became his obsession, all while she was away." the monk confirmed, his voice level and controlled. 

I had no idea how he did it, but the guy was good. 

The blond frowned at this. "In that case, I am truly sorry..." 

Miaka blinked, releasing herself from Tamahome's grasp. "_Excuse me?_"

He bowed his head. "I had not wished to bring this subject to discussion, nor cause Chiriko and Juri grief in the process. It is simply my duty to eliminate whatever dares trouble the gods. They need to focus on controlling the universe; thus, they may not fall in love under any circumstance. It is my only function in this world to stop anyone and everyone from doing so, not my choice. If I don't, I simply have no reason to live. You understand."

Apprehensive, I took a step towards him. Furrowing my brows, I raked my memory for his name. "It's Hitori, isn't it?" 

"Yes, CLAMPraven. What is it?"

"You said..." I stared hard into his blue eyes, "...you said that you would eliminate whoever dared to fall in love with the gods. What the hell do you mean by eliminate, Hitori?"

"I'd kill them."

Seeing the shock in my eyes, Hitori continued. "However, this may not be the case with your friend. As it is, she has two lovers in mind. One is Suzaku, the supreme phoenix god of Konan, and the other is Chiriko, Suzaku Shichiseishi. Right now, she has a chance with both, but if she doesn't fall enough with the former, it would be enough to save her life. I can tell you now that it would be safer, for both Juri and your sake, to try and pair her up with Chiriko. He looks earnest enough, and he will take great care of her. That, I think you can be assured. Plus, she loves him in return..."

Hitori stared at me sideways. "You do want her to live, don't you?"

"Not if she wasn't with the one she truly loves."

My mind came to a stop at that sentence. It was exactly what I had wanted to say, how I wanted to say it...

But it didn't come from me; it came from the last person I would've expected...

Tamahome.

Releasing his grip on the miko altogether, the seishi stepped forward. "I would kill you before you force her to fall in love with Chiriko without her consent, Hitori. Don't mistake that.

"Tamahome...?" Miaka stared, amazed at her lover.

"We've all become great friends with Juri; we've practically adopted her, like a little sister. And she's come through for us. But even if she wasn't friendly with us, I wouldn't force her to love someone she doesn't care for. She may harbor feelings for Chiriko, and she should, after seeing him so emotional, but since we have no idea how close she is with Suzaku, we can't speak for her that way. Only she knows how her heart feels truthfully; only that may pass judgment on what's to come."

The seishi cast an acknowledging look at Miaka, his love, and smiled secretly. "Love is a crazy, foolish thing. It's unpredictable...no one can speak for Juri except herself. I'm sure that if the love she feels is real, whatever leads up to it would already be guaranteed happiness..."

With that, he glared at Hitori, his eyes flashing fire. "If Juri loves Chiriko, our hearts and blessings go out to them. If Juri loves Suzaku, we still wouldn't think any less of them." His fists clenched and his brows furrowed. "And if you plan to make her suffer because of her judgment, I will not hesitate to kill you."

-

~Chiriko~

I sat on a large rock at the edge of the pond near the palace, my eyes blistering hot with tears and anger. Trickles of the liquid sadness dribbled down my cheeks and dived into the water, shaking the balance of the lily pad nearby. The marsh insects swam, undisturbed by my crying. 

After hearing the blond kid Hitori telling me that Juri had a relationship with Suzaku, I burst into tears and ran down the hall. Juri was fast, and she wasn't wearing wooden sandals like I was...she caught up to me immediately, but I jerked my arm away from her and screamed at her, telling her to just get away from me. Stunned, she was frozen in place. I saw tears coming to her eyes, too...tears of sympathy, but not regret. She still obviously loved the god, even if she did like me a little. Seeing my chance, I fled from the palace. Now, I was a good distance away. She wouldn't find me here...Juri has had limited talent in finding directions...

My mind still couldn't quite accept it. I suppose it was just one of those things you can't shake off. Trauma could be a devastating blow...I just never thought Juri would be the one to deliver it.

How could she understand how this made me feel?

A small rabbit hopped by the rock. It stopped, sat on its haunches, and listened intently to my whimpering. It was standing so close to me, I was easily able to pick it up. Its eyes were shining with curiosity in the sun, and its leg kicked once instinctively before it settled still. 

I cuddled the rabbit in my arms like a baby, marveling at how soft the grey fur was under its chin. Once again, its leg kicked playfully. Our eyes locked.

"Your...your eyes..." I mused as more tears came to my eyes, "...they're red. Ruby red. Like...like Juri's."

So they were...the rabbit's eyes were a startling scarlet, two precious stones that stared at me keenly. Its fur was a light hue, a silver color, slightly short of white. It was staying so still in my arms, except for its white chest thumping up and down, I would've thought that it was dead. It wasn't like a rabbit...more like a kitten...

But still, I kept my attention locked to its eyes. The eyes that reminded me of the girl I dreamed so many nights about...

I closed my eyes, and smiled gently, forcing out the rest of my tears. Wiping it off with my sleeve, my mind drifted off into oblivion... 

"You know..." I cuddled the bunny closer, and we both stared out into the water lilies in the pond, "...I...I guess I am being a little too emotional. Juri wouldn't like that. But then again, Juri was that kind of girl. She thought it was so important to be perfect and reliable and dependable, she put everyone's weight on her back tenfold and didn't realize it, to the point where she almost became fussy and trivial. But that's okay...I used to like her over reactive kindness...but then again, so did the god of Konan, didn't he? I guess we both have the same taste...

"I wouldn't know how Suzaku treated her. You know, she always told me she had conversations with the god in her head. Do you know how crazy that sounded, coming from someone as practical as Juri? I thought she was teasing...but then again, back in Mt. Black, she did spend whole hours in her room in silence. That was a lot more time than she'd ever spent talking to me...

"I wouldn't know. At first, I had suspected that she might like Suzaku. When I asked her about it, her eyesballs bulged out about ten feet out from her skull, and she screeched enough to even put Tasuki's ears out. After popping her eyeballs back in, she told me, quite loudly, that it wasn't that kind of thing. I recall her every word. She had said, 'Chiriko, if you were stuck in a world you've never been to, with weirdos that can scare your ass off like the seishi of Seiryuu, don't you think you'd try getting advice from the gods?' Good point."

I sighed. "Now I don't know whether she was lying, or teasing, or..."

_Or maybe she didn't quite realize it yet?_

My eyes widened in shock. I dropped the rabbit. 

_*Who are you?!?* _I screamed mentally. 

_Chiriko...I think you already know..._

I clasped a hand onto my mouth to keep from screaming; my head felt faint from the shock...

_*Su...Suzaku...?!?*_

-

~Suzaku~

I nodded to myself at the boy's naïveté. Chiriko really was just a child, after all... 

_Yes, Chiriko... _I assured him. _This is Suzaku your god speaking. How may I help you?_

_*Su...Suzaku...you can hear my every thought, can't you?* _The boy was no longer tense. _*So you're the one who stole Juri's heart.*_

My gaze softened at this. Juri... _I suppose you could say that. Although right now, I can tell you she's having second thoughts. Juri didn't forget you, Chiriko. She wouldn't do that. She's not quite sure who she'd rather disappoint..._

_*Little meek me, or the god of Konan. Gee whiz, Suzaku, that **is **tough...*_

I couldn't help but laugh. Every now and then, sarcasm is necessary. Especially now. Scratching the back of my head, I wondered if the kid and I shared one mind...

_Yes...I've had that little talk with myself, too. And I realized that love really mattered more than immortality, power, or beauty. It overcomes all obstacles. It is the reason that the world was born, and it is the driving force that keeps our universe alive. It never falters; it never fails. It is all a guy really needs._

Sensing the heavy doubt on Chiriko's face, I quickly went on. _Now, I know all that made me sound like a hypocrite, because I AM a god, and I have everything this side of Konan, right? But remember, I'm speaking for you on this standpoint. _

_There was a time when I didn't believe in any of that corny shit anyhow. But that was before; I am not the god that I was before I met Juri. She taught me how to love, where I only knew how to lust. And believe me, I did lust, big time; you'd never guess, and don't tell the other gods this, but I keep my hentai movies underneath the couch, just for those times. In fact, the closest I've ever gotten to love was when I met CLAMPraven...er, but I digress._

_You see, Chiriko...Juri made me who I am. And in return for that, I guided her, gave her weapons and amulets just for her pleasure, watched over her... Just like you've dreamed about her, I've gazed protectively over her, more than once, while she was sleeping peacefully on nights of the full moon. I'm sure you'd know this already, but she was an angel. I can easily see why you'd like her._

_I don't want to be competition against you, Chiriko. After all, you are my Shichiseishi...wouldn't it be weird if we started fighting? However, I don't think it would be a good idea to brainwash you into thinking that I'm the only one for Juri; nor would I want to spite you with thunderbolts from the sky. No...too classy. _

_I wanted you to see for yourself why I love Juri...if I love Juri as much as you. Do you understand, Chiriko?_

On the television, I could see the boy nodding firmly. "Suzaku...can you tell me how it happened?" He requested out loud.

_How what happened?_

_*How you and Juri met...*_

I blinked. Wasn't expecting that...

_It wasn't all that interesting...but, uh, if you want to hear it..._

_*Just tell me how it went, Suzaku. No funny stuff.*_

_...Actually, that was mostly what it was...heheheheh...mostly just teasing between me and Juri. She could be a bitch when she needed to be, and so could I. Revenge, mostly. You know, 'you shit on my day, I shit on yours'? Eheh..._

_*SUZAKU...now I know what Juri meant when she said she got fed up with YOU...*_

_Okay, okay!!!! But don't say I didn't warn you. Now pick up your rabbit and make yourself comfortable; I'm not repeating this twice, either._

I paused, trying to recall those first days, seeing Juri's eyes for the first time. _I can't remember too much, but I'll tell you this: it happened when she and I were both bored to hell, that's for sure. I was checking around heaven for things to do; it was one of those days when you felt like you had to get off your couch or die sitting there. Now THAT was scary. But in any case..._

_I did a little research on Jenny from my personal library. Did I mention that her real name is Jenny? At first, I just took her for an antisocial bum. Back then, I didn't know the silky softness of her hair, the velvet whispers of her voice, the beautiful scarlet eyes, nor her incredible wisdom. Of course, it took me seeing her for real to tell that she was special..._

_And her eyes were engraved in my memory ever since..._

_-_

~Chiriko~

Suzaku and I talked well into the evening. It was a mental conversation, of course, so when merchants and carriages drove by the road near the small pond where I'd stationed myself for a good 5 hours, they didn't realize I was doing anything but thinking to myself.

The god ended up telling me more than how he met Juri. He went on to talk about every single day that went by with him watching over her, all of her good times, all of their conversations, and every time she had ever asked him for help...all of which he obliged to. He talked about watching her wake up to the early sunlight, and watching sleep coax her into the mesmerizing moonlight. He spoke with such passion, you could almost see an image of a lonely young god in your mind, watching over the girl that he may never have...

I listened intently. So did the rabbit in my arms, for that matter, who had not made any effort to escape my grasp. His words had shocked me at first, with how deep the emotions ran in his veins. But soon I realized that it was perhaps just an instinct in him, to love Juri so strongly. 

I compared my love for Juri to his. There was so much I hadn't known, so much I could've improvised. But what would've been the point? I was a better friend for her than I ever was anything else. 

Juri was sympathetic for me; that's because we were both children, whether we liked it or not. We didn't understand that we didn't belong together. I couldn't accept my loss, and she couldn't accept my tears. In the end, I had dragged her down to my level. Suzaku wouldn't have done that. 

When he finally stopped talking, at the current situation, I had already understood.

_And so that's everything up until now for - Chiriko? Chiriko!! Are you listening?!? _The god caught me in the middle of my wandering thoughts. _Chiriko!_

_*It's okay...don't worry...I understand.* _I smiled, and stood up. _*I've heard enough. You've proved yourself to me...*_

_*As a worthy lover.*_

_Chiriko...? _Suzaku was too stunned to speak, but I went on.

_*I'm a child, Suzaku. I don't need love...not yet. But you're a god. You've lived forever. And if you see something special in Juri, after seeing as many women as you have, it must be true love. I won't stop you from pursuing that, because I trust that your wisdom won't deny you Juri's affection in return. Me...I'm still young. I don't think it is a very good idea, buying your chance for mine.*_

_*This is why I've decided to make it easier for you.*_

Childish tears fell upon my face, but they were wiped away instantly by stern will. The child will no longer cry for what he cannot have. I will make sure of that.

_*I will no longer fight for Juri. I don't care what that Hitori kid or any of the other seishi say.*_

I was sure Suzaku would take good care of Juri. I couldn't. And Juri's well-being is prized above all in the heart of a faithful lover...now a simple friend.

_*You love her, Suzaku. She is yours.*_

And underneath the expanding night sky, a child had laid his head down to sleep...

...in his place stood a man. 

"Take good care of her, Suzaku. Don't let me have done this in vain."

* * *

_Suzaku: See? See how well I've written this chapter, CLAMPraven-chan?_

(CLAMPraven blinks)

(CLAMPraven blinks again)

(CLAMPraven tears out her hair and starts howling) NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooo...

_Suzaku: That's right, folks! I wrote this chapter! ME! NOT CLAMPRAVEN, ME!! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!_

(CLAMPraven falls off a cliff) F********************* (Crash!)

_Suzaku: And I got it done quicker than she did!!! Ohohohohoho...come on people. Do you want me to write more, or her? COME ON!! She's died a million times already! She can take it!!_

_-Suzaku! _


	19. Dramatic Transition' Forbidden

**"Juri"**

**-from girl to oracle-**

**By CLAMPraven**

* * *

~ Dramatic Transition ~

Part 18 of the Legend of Juri - Forbidden

* * *

_Suzaku: Goddamn CLAMPraven. You would not believe what she had the nerve to do to me._

_Suzaku: It has now become obvious to me that any insane fanfiction writer is automatically bestowed invulnerability, invincibility, and immortality. After hearing this from a god, I think you get the idea._

_Suzaku: CLAMPraven had not only managed to rise from the dead, TWICE, and take over this Juri fic again, but she also had the nerve to steal...(starts counting off his feathers)...all my mallets, all my magical amulets, all my explosives, all my anvils, my teddy bear, the two nuclear war missiles that I planned to use to destroy Byakko-baka with, and...(pauses for dramatic measure)__...about a dozen pounds worth of white chocolate, from my safe._

_Suzaku: Between you and me, CLAMPraven loves white chocolate; she doesn't especially like chocolate overall, and if you feed her dark chocolate, she'd probably sputter, choke, and behead you, but she is absolutely crazy for white chocolate. Hence, she has cavities up to the ceiling. Do you realize how long I've been trying to hide that from her?!? But NO-O, she just had to take it away, for **punishment**, she says! I keep chocolate away from her for a reason -_

_Byakko: 'Cause you eat it all, Chicken-baka?_

_Suzaku: ..............that's it. I need my missiles back. _

_Byakko: Truthfully, it is dangerous to allow CLAMPraven near white chocolate. Especially now that it's March break, and we have to put up with her for a week, no school and all, she gets very sugar-high. **VERY, **very sugar-high. If she had access to a Hershey's facility, why, the world would probably be zilch by now. But in any case, since we don't have a storm shelter, we have to stay as far away from her as possible, and watch on fearfully. As CLAMPraven has nothing to do all March break, her one priority is to screw up something we know you all care very much about. That being the fanfic of "Juri". _

(In the distance) MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! Maybe I could make Teletubbies come in and kill all the seishi!!! Not a bad idea!!! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH....!!!

_Byakko: (watches as all the Shichiseishi shudder) Good lord..._;;;_

-CLAMPraven 

* * *

~Jenny~

I shuddered, wrapping my arms around my paling arms and tried to stay warm. 

Why did the night have to be so cold, when I was frozen inside already...?

Cursing quietly, I stumbled through the marsh area, my running shoes sinking in the soft mud. The sky was becoming a soft black as I went on; crickets chirping in the distance did nothing to coax me. I was afraid of the animals lurking in the dusk. Still, I went on, blinking every once in a while to adjust to the gathering darkness.

"Damn!" I muttered as I nearly tripped over a frog, its silhouette barely visible, even by my lantern's light. It leaped by, unfazed as I pulled my sneaker out of the swampy mess.

There was no light pollution in Konan. Therefore, the night is truly dark. This left me at a complete disadvantage. However, remembering the gift that Suzaku had bestowed upon me, I asked Mitsukake to bring me my lantern. I wasn't stupid. Lighting the candle of yanagi for the first time ever, with some last aiding instructions from CLAMPraven, I set out by myself in search of Chiriko...

The little boy had twisted his arm away from me when I tried to catch him. He told me off with tears in his eyes. It was obvious to me that he was more heartbroken than even I could've guessed. But I was heartbroken, too...

When CLAMPraven saw that I didn't chase him, that I was standing out in the hall, shattered, the Nyan-Nyan took pity on me and led me to the guest chamber. It was right next to where Chibi-Nakago, or Hitori, as he chose to call himself, had chosen to stay for the meantime. CLAMPraven told me to stay put; Chiriko would come back home eventually. But when Hotohori's servants told me that the boy couldn't be found, I got a bit edgy waiting. 

The fact that Hitori was watching me through all of this didn't help, although there was something in his gaze that I caught: urgency. He was waiting to see how this turned out, whether he would have to kill me or not. He was examining me like a shark; Tamahome confirmed it when I asked him what the little blond boy truly meant by 'eliminating the problem'.

Five hours passed; the sun had set, and still no sign of the little Shichiseishi. 

Finally, Tasuki couldn't take it anymore.

I remember well what he had told me. "Juri," he had said, bringing his tessen down on the table, "if you really care about Chiriko at all, go out there yourself and find your man, goddamn it!!!" As a side note, he added that if I paced around the room anymore, he was going to Lekka Shinen me all the way back to Nuriko's grave. I honestly think he meant that...

So naturally, I lit up the lantern and found myself here in the middle of the swamp on the north side of the palace. Possibly the most shitty place on earth I could think of, but worth it if Chiriko was around here. 

Tasuki isn't any better off, I reminded myself; I had told him to search to the west of the palace, to make it fair. Chibi-Chichiri tagged along with him, 'no da'-ing happily atop the bandit's head (the little blue-haired monk found great joy in bopping Tasuki on the temple with his staff; I couldn't blame him). I had insisted that this would be arranged, partly because I've always been a big fan of Tasuki/Chichiri fanfics (Suzaku forbid that they ever hear this); it's just a bonus that the redhead is now officially miserable. Meanwhile, a few volunteers had popped up; Mitsukake proceeded to search southwards of the palace and CLAMPraven eastwards. 

"With a search team like that," I commented to myself, "We'd probably find Chiriko in record time. I'd never forgive my god-forsaken self if something happened to the little guy; he loved me so much. When we find him, I'll personally say sorry...but then, what do I do about Suzaku...?" 

That was something no one could answer for me. But I had no answer for myself...

Trudging along, I continued to weigh the consequences in my head. Before long, I had already reached the small pond by the side of the road. For a while, I stared at the road, realizing that I'm about a mile away from the palace and wondering whether hitchhiking was an option. Then, squinting at the pond, I saw a figure perched on the rocks, holding a furry object. His hair made me recognize him instantly.

I gasped. "CHIRIKO!!" 

The little boy nearly jumped. Once he turned his head around to face me, in equal surprise, I had already ran up to him, putting my lantern down on the ground. Now I could make out the shape of what he was holding. I discovered it to be a large bunny, with piercing red eyes. 

Shaken up by relief, I felt tears coming to my eyes again. I felt so silly...he wasn't even crying. But I was so worried...I guess you really don't miss the water 'till it's gone. Or the Shichiseishi, for that matter.

Being careful not to squish his rabbit, I wrapped my arms around him, feeling secure once more. I let my tears fall freely, not caring. "Chiriko...don't ever, EVER scare me like that again, okay? I mean, seriously..."

I felt his chin bobbing up and down on my shoulder; I figured he was nodding. He also felt the need to drop his rabbit at this time...I didn't blame him.

"I didn't mean to worry you, Juri-san..." he hugged me closer in the darkness, his body cold, "...I did plan to come back to the palace after an hour or so, but I had the most interesting conversation with Suzaku-seikun..."

Stunned by this piece of news, I let go of him and stumbled back. What the hell...?!?

"**SUZAKU?!?**" I screeched, slack-jawed, hardly believing him.

Chiriko nodded again. He had the look of someone who had just learned something new about himself. 

"Suzaku-seikun talked to me telepathically, in my head. He told me, first, that he didn't want to be competition for me, just because we both loved you, Juri-san. To be truthful, he was a lot nicer than you had told me about. But judging by the arguments he said you had with him before, I guess I can relate. I asked him to tell me all about how you guys met, and he did. But he lingered on to tell me everything he knew about you, and how much he truly loved you. You should ask him to tell you all this someday, Juri-san."

My eyes widened, and I couldn't help blushing. It's always nice hearing compliments from a boy. Even nicer when that boy happened to be a god. But if he loved me as much as Chiriko said he did...then he really should've told me. 

Could it be that he was too shy to say anything...? That didn't sound like Suzaku at all! But it was the only reasonable explanation...

My eyes locked with Chiriko's. "Go on," I told him, curious to hear more. 

"He told me," the boy continued, "that he would die for you, Juri-san. He said that he didn't know what death truly was, being immortal. But he has seen it, and he was always secretly afraid of it. His ultimate fear used to be that he might lose his immortality one day, with no powers, no heaven, no future...." Chiriko shook his head. "Now his ultimate fear is losing you, Juri-san, or even seeing you hurt. It hurts him, Juri-san. It hurts him so much...I could tell just by his tone of voice. He told me that he'd rather die a million times over than to see you being so distant, so angered...so alone. That was how I made up my mind."

My face was as red as a nosebleed right then. He cared about me...but something puzzled me. "Oh Chiriko, he actually - what? W...what do you mean, you 'made up your mind'?"

The little boy shook his head. I saw only determination in his features, a passionate spark that erupted within a lonely heart. My heart quickened.

Chiriko sighed. "I will no longer fight for your affections, Juri. Those days are over.

"Suzaku made it very clear to me that he loved you more. It's only fair. I have come to the conclusion that I will never measure up to him." Seeing my eyes widen in shock, he added, "don't be sad for me, Juri-san. It's not something to be upset over. I've figured out the truth of this little love triangle, and the truth did hurt at first, but after a while, even you'll see that it's meant to be."

I felt tears coming to my eyes...tears of happiness. "Chiriko..."

"You do love him back, don't you? I can see it in your eyes..."

I only nodded. In my mind, I had started to reminisce. That day in our camp in the mountains...that day when Suzaku confessed his feelings for me...I would never forget that moment...

_It might sound weird, coming from me, but...I can't bring myself to be mean to you all the time..._

_I sat upright. WHAT ARE YOU GETTING AT?!? And why are you sounding different than usual?!?_

_Please...Jenny, don't interrupt me._

Suzaku...that faker. He had me convinced that he was sadistic and evil and an inconsiderate couch potato for days on end...up until that moment. How did he do it?

_I'm a god...immortal, emotionless as stone. So it took me a long time to figure out that these feelings I had...that they were because I liked you. _

Suzaku...how did you catch me in your wings like that? You were always so cruel, and your sudden kindness confused me so much that I...

_No...because I loved you._

_You...you're joking, right?_

He loved me all along...he never loved anyone else...

"He never did love anyone else..." I murmured in a barely audible whisper. My voice was hoarse, my mind bleak. But I understood exactly what Chiriko was trying to tell me. "I...I understand."

The little Shichiseishi nodded quietly. "I figured you would."

"Suzaku is the single best match for you," he continued. "He's rebellious, feisty...judging by what you told me, he's also a looker, too. That's okay. I only want the best for you. I can tell that you've made a great decision, and I will support you for as long as you feel for him. I'm helping you, Juri-san, because whether you love me or not, I will always love you." 

He leaned closer to me, hugging me for comfort again. "Always..."

"Chiriko..."

"Shh...you know you love Suzaku...you know as well as I do...but I'll always be here, too, to convince you in case you change your mind..."

I sighed as he placed a finger over my lip, then as his look turned into confusion as I removed his hand. 

I would've stayed there the whole night, wrapped in his arms, knowing Chiriko will be my distant lover and affectionate best friend, even if I hadn't felt anything for him. The Shichiseishi had changed so much...he no longer sounded like the happy-go-lucky kid he started out being. He sounded like a true soldier. He had given me the solution I needed. He made me realize that I loved Suzaku.

Maybe Chiriko was right. Maybe I was just sympathetic to the tears in his eyes. But if everything he said was true...

Then Suzaku really did love me...

And I loved him...

We were destined to be...

But...what about...what about...

"Chiriko, there's something you need to understand..." 

My brows furrowed as I stared deeply into his eyes. "Chibi-Nakago...no, Hitori...he's not just a child. He's more than we think he is. He has the power to keep me away from Suzaku...it's his only duty in the world to keep me away from Suzaku, and he can't be swayed at all. He would stop at nothing to do his duty. He told us himself. If I chose Suzaku over you, he...he won't even bother to try and persuade me to change my mind, because he knows it isn't definite. He'd...he'd kill me, Chiriko.

"He'd kill me..."

I stopped, letting the words sink in to my subconscious mind. "He'd...kill...me..."

Out of the corner of my blurry eyes, I saw Chiriko's fists clench. His enraged eyes blazed fire at what he heard.

"That...that **BASTARD!!!!**" He gasped through clenched teeth. "**I'LL KILL HIM!!!**"

-

"NO!!!" I screamed as Chiriko ran off into the distance, towards the palace. "CHIRIKO!!! **STOP!!! **HE'S TOO DANGEROUS!!! CHIRIKO!!! **CHIRIKO!!!!**"

I proceeded to chase after him...

_Jenny..._

Stopping in mid-sprint, I staggered from the shock of the mental voice. Even more so when I realized who it belonged to. 

Suzaku...**SUZAKU!!!!** I nearly jumped in joy. 

After all these days, all those minutes of ignoring silence...he finally talks to me again...the one who helped me through all my harsh times, the one who gave me my powers and reassured me when I was down...the one who argued with me just for the sake of arguing...

...my new-found forbidden love...

I missed his voice so much without even realizing it... 

A chuckle from the phoenix god. _Yep...it's me..._

What the hell took you so long, Suzaku?!? I haven't heard your nauseating voice in so long, I hardly remembered you! I thought you hated me after all this time!!! I tried my best to sound angry, but I was relieved beyond words and on the verge of tears, to know he still remembered me. 

Maybe he still loved me as well...?

_Wha-? You're angry at me again?? _The god squeaked. _I thought we were over that!_

I blinked. NO!! **NO!!!! **No no no no no! Suzaku, don't you dare leave me now!! I swear, if you even try - 

_I was kidding!! _Suzaku laughed again. _But it is relieving, isn't it? I missed your voice too, so much that I...erm, never mind. I know you don't want to hear this right now...maybe later?_

Yeah...so Suzaku... I turned in the direction of Chiriko, whose silhouette in the now nighttime darkness could still be seeing running in the distance. A worried expression worked its way onto my face. 

I returned my attention to the god. Suzaku...I have to talk to you later...this is starting to sound like a phone conversation. And besides, Chiriko...Chiriko might get hurt. Hitori won't have any tolerance with him, or me. If he just rushes in there, he won't stand a chance. I have to go after him. I just have to!

To my surprise, Suzaku tsked disapprovingly at me. _Jenny, Jenny, Jenny...after saving both Chichiri, Tasuki, and Nuriko's lives back at Mt. Black, haven't you learned anything?!_

I blinked. Twice. Eh?

_Jenny, think! Chiriko's going to rush in there, and get himself hurt; so to save him, you plan to rush in the same way? What's that going to do? _

...I...didn't think about that... '_';;;

_JENNY!!! Akiyama Hitori is one of the strongest fighters in all of Konan!! He's supposed to kill whoever dares love me or any other god; as a brief lecture in a time of crisis, very common in anime, I'll explain to you exactly what he is. Some people prefer to call him the Tenbinza no Mikoto, otherwise known as the Lord of the Libra. It's a name he gave himself, actually. You know, the constellation of the scale of justice, from your world? _

_In order for the four gods to keep balanced, the gods must not fall in love; the Tenbinza no Mikoto is the definition of equality, and will get rid of whatever is uneven in the measuring scale, thus killing anyone who loves me, hates me with a vengeance, or just plain distracts me from my work of ruling Konan. The only one besides the gods and Watase-sama who even stands a chance against the Tenbinza no Mikoto is the Iteza no Mikoto, or the Lord of the Sagittarius. But he was banished as a youma a long time ago for his belief that love only fuels a god's initiative and makes the god's country better governed, not worse._

_Jenny, no one can defeat Hitori with brute force. NO ONE. But you don't work with brute force...you work with strategy, remember? It is not my place to banish Hitori, nor the place of any other god, because Yuu Watase put him there. But with your wisdom and skill...you just might..._

Suzaku paused, letting me take all this in. 

_I know you can do this, because I trust you as much as I love you, _he added. _How you approach this problem is up to you, Jenny._

As his presence faded away, for the moment, I scratched my chin in thought. One way of doing this was to catch Hitori, the Tenbinza no Mikoto, by surprise...if that was even possible. The second was to distract him. But even if one of these ways worked, what did I have to fight with?

"I guess I could always try fighting with the lantern Suzaku gave me," I thought out loud, picking up the lantern I had put down earlier and scraping mud off of the bottom. It glimmered in the moonlight, the flame of the yanagi candle still shining with renewed brilliance. I stared into the candle's flame in deep thought. Perhaps it would help me think...

No... I decided after a minute of blinking. It only made me see negatives. But CLAMPraven said that it's smell is its power, didn't she? Hm...

"I guess it's worth a try..." I whispered hopefully, holding the lantern up to the moonbeams. "Um...what chant do I use? Okay...er, _great candle of yanagi, may you reveal your powers...?_"

Silence.

"_Magic candle of yanagi, show me your power?_"

Silence.

"_Nuriko's candle of yanagi, release the power...?"_

Silence.

No, that's not correct, actually...a cricket chirped, if that counts for anything. 

"AAARGH!!!!" I screamed in exasperation. "I DON'T HAVE MUCH TIME LEFT!!!" 

Lowering the lantern to eye level and shooting a death glare into the heart of the candlelight, I bared my teeth like a lion. And if death glares could kill, Konan would've been dissolved by a nuclear explosion by now. For all I care, the yanagi candle might as well have been alive and taunting me. It was worse than those perverted little kids at the library back home.

"...well, if that's how you want to play it, you little bastard of a candle," I hissed threateningly, "I'd be happy to oblige..."

Bashing the lantern into the ground over and over, I screeched loud enough to scare the Gembu seishi in their graves. "**DAMN **(CRASH) **YOU** (CRASH) **STUPID **(CRASH) **YANAGI ** (CRASH) **FRIGGIN' **(CRASH) **CANDLE **(CRASH) **F*CKING **(CRASH) **DO **(CRASH) **SOMETHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**"

And what do you know? It did do something...

Something totally unexpected...

Well, first off, I noticed a glowing golden light on my wrist. It was, apparently, my amulet that Suzaku had given me along with the lantern. The symbol for gold glistened in the night, a sign that I had activated my power of endurance (I nearly forgot about that!). Ten seconds later... 

"HOLY SHIT!!!!!!" I screamed in utter agony as unidentified odors erupted from the yanagi candle in purple streams. Believe you me, those smells weren't very pleasant at all...

And then it hit me.

The candle's smells were all very feminine smells, ranging from mascara to flowery perfumes to the stench of a used tampon. Multiplied by roughly thousands, and you've got the smell of the Suzaku Shichiseishi Nuriko...

I grimaced hard, and covered my nose with one hand. I pleaded and begged. I was down on my knees, goddamn it! But it wasn't enough. The stench was rotting my brain...that was the power of the candle in its entirety. It made sense, because Nuriko always hated it when Tasuki cursed him. Maybe by cursing the candle, I triggered its ultimate power...??

But I couldn't think too hard. My head felt fuzzy...

And I underestimated it. Hell, this candle might as well have been the most powerful thing since the Suzaku no Miko...! It would be enough...I had to get to the palace...had to save Chiriko from Hitori...Tenbinza no Mikoto...time was...running out...

Staggering, I lifted the lantern with what little strength I had left, and instinctively set out south. At least, I think the palace was south...

(rustle rustle)

"What the hell...?" I turned around, with my nose still buried in my hands. There, I greeted a sight that nearly made me pass out on the spot.

As if the spell wasn't enough, the gray rabbit that Chiriko was holding when I saw him at the pond was now rubbing against my leg, its peculiar red eyes intently fixed upon the burning violet candle. It wasn't afraid of the incense at all...in fact, he was **attracted **to it...and damn, he wasn't the only one...

Rabbits were sticking their heads out of the marsh plants in the darkness, coming out from their hiding places in the trees and rocks. One by one, they popped out of nowhere and crowded around me, sitting on their haunches and staring dreamily at my lantern...soon, there was a small crowd of roughly fifty rabbits at my feet, so squished up that they clambered on top of each other, trying to get at the candle.

My jaw dropped, and I bawled miserably. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!" What the hell?!? And there were even more coming out of the bushes by the second...

Trudging on, gassed by the stench of the yanagi candle and followed by an eager group of local Konannese bunny rabbits, I headed back towards Hotohori's palace, with little to no will to fight whatsoever...

-

~Hitori~

"Chiriko...Tamahome...don't be stupid," I warned the two enraged seishi in front of me, both ready to fight. "I will simply tell you for your own good. It is my duty to kill Juri, now that Chiriko here has informed me of her decision to continue her relationship with Suzaku-seikun. Neither of you are powerful nor strategic enough to defeat me; I suggest you reconsider, Suzaku Shichiseishi."

But the two seishi had no will to back down. Both were willing to fight to the death.

Chiriko had rushed into the palace not moments ago with an immediate death threat, promising me a slow and painful death if I ruin the situation between Suzaku and Juri. When I ignored him, Tamahome added to this threat; I was not surprised. The other seishi were at the sidelines, so to speak; they were not rash, and even Tasuki knew to think before going against a power as mysterious as mine. But the two seishi were dedicated entirely to Juri, the little oracle, and were willing to take their chances.

I fought the urge to yawn. This was redundant. 

"I've said it before, and I'll say it again; if you dare touch Juri, there'll be severe consequences!!!" Tamahome threatened. 

"HOW DARE YOU EVEN SUGGEST KILLING JURI-SAN?!?" Chiriko spat menacingly, his aura flaming about him. "It's injustice to kill her just because she is in love!!!"

These words both amused and surprised me. Getting up from my chair, I approached the two of them slowly, while the other seishi watched on, uncertain what to do. Miaka had already been frightened to the verge of tears, and the Suzaku no Miko crouched amongst her shoulders, scared and expectant.

"This is...interesting," I commented, almost leisurely. I had no real interest in dueling them. "You are both very convincing in your own right. I commend you. However..." 

Golden energy flared about me, enveloping the atmosphere surrounding my body. My eyes glowed with a satanic red, my lips curved into an evil grin. I felt the magic powers skyrocketing in every vein. 

"Understand that it is my job to kill you, not my desire. Thus, I will not pity either of you, regardless of whether you are powerful or not. On the same note, I refuse to spare you because you are Suzaku Shichiseishi. You are aware of the consequences that I've warned you about; therefore, whether you live or die is not of my concern. You have sealed your fate already."

"Tamahome..." Miaka whispered desperately, clutching Chichiri's sleeves. The other seishi were even more unnerved now than before as their Miko started to whimper. 

This, I ignored. I had no empathy for those who choose to lay down their lives so rashly. It was not my job to forgive them; this was.

As the two seishi backed off in horror, the constellation of Libra lit up the room...my stars of power...

In an instant flash of light, I was clothed in ancient Chinese garbs, a garnet choker around my neck and indigo robes lined with scarlet clinging to my body, buckles on my waist left and right. The dress-like clothing's inner white folds flowed around me as my honeysuckle hair did the same, growing longer and longer to float around the room, completing my feminine image... 

Energy erupted from my gloved hands. In an instant, a golden mace studded with amethyst and diamond appeared in my right hand, while a miniature golden scale of justice materialized in my right, the emblems of my brilliant constellation in the real world...also, the ultimate weapons of peace and balance.

Finally, out from my back exploded silver wings, radiant angel feathers spilling in the air and across the floor. Fanning them out, I spread them to their full width, surrounding me in a glowing halo.

The seishi gasped in horror. I chuckled at their weakness. It was not moments ago that they had been so sure of themselves...and now that they've finally realized the full extent of my powers, why...they were afraid. Like mice. 

I loved a good lesson learned.

"Oh, and one more thing...Chiriko," I addressed the younger seishi in particular as my transformation came to a close. "Do not prejudge my acts as injustice. Quite the contrary. I am the ultimate soldier of peace and balance, assigned by Yuu Watase-sama and the four gods in the beginning of this universe's creation. I am the Tenbinza no Mikoto, the lord of the celestial scale of justice." 

I laughed at his fear, as panic ran through his every nerve. "Ironic, isn't it? But now that you've sealed your fate, perhaps it is best to get over it. I would be happy to grant you a quick and sudden death. Or, if you choose to make it hard for me, I will kill you slowly and agonizingly. Either way..."

I pointed my mace at the two Shichiseishi, and smiled my sweetest smile. 

"Prepare to die."

* * *

MUAHAHAHAHAHA!!! I think I'll just stop there...the Teletubbies can come in the next chapter (hic)...that'll be good... hahahahaha...(hic)...yummy white chocolate...(hic) (burp) (munch munch) (hic)...deli (hic) cious...haa...

(while CLAMPraven giggles like a retard, the cast of the fanfic all sigh in relief in the corner...)

_Suzaku: (sweatdrops) Well, at least we have until the next chapter to change her mind about the Teletubbies thing..._

_Byakko: But, be thankful. At least she didn't screw up the fic too much, and that's good...considering she's on a sugar high like THAT. _

_(Everyone from the cast of Juri): (stares)_

_Byakko: ...OKAY, so the whole yanagi-candle-attracts-bunnies-by-the-dozen thing was a bit rash..._

_Suzaku: This is hopeless..._

_Juri: Um...guys..._

_(Byakko & Suzaku): Huh?_

_Juri: Can't you just steal the white chocolate from her?_

_Suzaku: ..................you don't know CLAMPraven very well, do you?_

_Juri: Come on, guys. Would you rather she be crazy like that? (points to CLAMPraven burping) I mean, seriously._

_Suzaku: ...................................................Okay, so here's what we'll do..._

-CLAMPraven 


	20. Dramatic Transition' Righteous

**"Juri"**

**-from girl to oracle-**

**By CLAMPraven**

* * *

~ Dramatic Transition ~

Part 19 of the Legend of Juri - Righteous

* * *

**(brace yourselfs...this is a LONG one. But then again, since so many people like reading about just the adventures of the insane CLAMPraven and not Juri, Suzaku posted this. You could say it's a bonus, for those of you who read the stuff.)**

Hmm...let's see, what to write next. Ah, yes. (Hic) Chocolatey... (munch munch) ... 

(grabs white chocolate-stained pen) "And after Female Chibi-Nakago/Hitori pointed his mace thingamajiggy at Tamahome and Chiriko, they both turned into...WHITE CHOCOLATE!! After that, he pointed his mace thingamajiggy at the other seishi and they all turned into statues of cookies & cream ice cream!! Predictably, Miaka-piggy started eating the white chocolate and ice cream. All the seishi were eaten in less than a minute; in her stupidity, the miko managed to eat Hitori as well (god knows how or why). CLAMPraven hid in a corner to avoid being eaten; she has gone mad so she decided to take out her cell phone from out of thin air and called Taiitsu-kun who called Suzaku who called Seiryuu who called the Teletubbies. The Teletubbies, with Barney, the Easter Bunny, and the cast of Wedding Peach, killed whoever the hell was left with their nuclear warheads. Pikachu would be proud. The end. And all is well - "

_Suzaku (very agitated): THAT'S F*CKING IT!!!!! **CHARGE!!!!! **_

_(the entire cast of Juri start a rampage on CLAMPraven before she could finish the ending)_

HEY!!! What (hiccup) are you doing, goddamn it?!? **BYAKKO, YOU ASS!!! LET GO OF MY WHITE CHOCOLATE!!!!! **

_Suzaku: I got the ending!! (tears apart what CLAMPraven just wrote) Phew...NOW IT DOESN'T COUNT!!! WHOHOO!!! (dances)_

_Seiryuu: I got a bag load of stuff!!! She stole all this!! (peeks in) Suzaku, (holds up a-bombs) are these yours?_

_Suzaku: Hang on!! AND DON'T DROP THEM!!!_

_Juri: GUYS!!!!!! **A LITTLE HELP HERE?!?!? HELLO?!?!? UWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!!!!!**_

(Suzaku and Seiryuu turn around to see that CLAMPraven had puffed up ten times her size. She's beating up the cast of Juri left and right, with plenty of vein-popping and sumo-sized mallets. Juri was being crushed in her left hand and Byakko in the other...)

_Byakko: SUZAKU!!! CATCH!!! (throws bag of white chocolate to him)_

_Suzaku: (catches) OOF!! Hey...it - er, she - didn't eat as much as I thought she would! (Takes out tranquilizer gun from his pocket and shoots CLAMPraven the insane sugar-high akuma in the leg.) That ought to do it!_

(CLAMPraven falls, followed by an earthquake. Followed by a happy dance from the cast of Juri.)

_Suzaku: (binds the unconscious CLAMPraven) Tranquilizer's working just fine. Since she didn't eat as much as I thought, her sugar high can be controlled by sleep. When the effects of the tranquilizer wear off, she ought to be free of the spell of the sugar rush._

_Byakko: WHO THE HELL CARES?!? KONAN'S NOT GOING TO BE DESTROYED BY TELETUBBIES!!! YAHOO!!!!!_

(CLAMPraven in limbo): (thinks) _damn..._

_Suzaku: HELL, YEAH!!! (thinks out loud) This means I get to write another chapter, full of fighting, yaoi hints, and plenty of corny morals to finish it off!_

(CLAMPraven in limbo): (thinks) ............_Double whammy................._

_-Suzaku! _

* * *

~Jenny~

I hated this. The smell, the rabbits...the smell of the rabbits...

But I had to keep walking! I had to!! 

Grumbling to myself, I headed towards the palace, lantern in one hand and bunnies at my feet; for the life of me, I couldn't understand why the yanagi candle's scent wasn't affecting them, because it was taking off a layer of my brain. It seemed as if the odor was getting stronger with every agonizing step, thus attracting more and more rabbits as I walked towards my destination. 

It weakened my senses...I could barely see a thing...just the glow of the yanagi candle and my shining amulet. I could sense that the full moon was above me, but I had no strength to look. I could hardly make out the shape of the palace, and yet I could almost sense that Chiriko was in trouble. No...not sense. I knew Chiriko was in trouble, and maybe even the others along with him. 

At the same time, my mind ran through everything that Suzaku had told me about Hitori, the Tenbinza no Mikoto. Suzaku had said that he was strong...too strong for any of the seishi, too strong for all of them combined. What did he mean...? I couldn't reach him when my head was so cloudy. But did that mean that even the Suzaku no Miko couldn't stop him...? I had to figure this out.

Hotohori's royal domain was almost in sight now...just a few more steps, Jenny, and you'll almost be at the front gate...

I clutched the handle of the lantern, and struggled on. Fight now, questions later...

_(FLASH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)_

Startled, I froze in my step. 

A brilliant flash had lit up the entire palace...a flash of deadly gold. Screams could be heard from where I stood. Even the seemingly pristine bunnies backed off in fear.

Such a strong shade of gold...I could've sworn I saw it before...but where...?

And then I realized it.

"**HITORI!!!!!**" I screamed. 

My fists were clenched at the thought of the evil blonde. 

That's where I saw that violent shade of gold before...it was in his hair, his smile, his stare...his intense aura was all one massive golden juggernaut, wasn't it? So that's what made the Tenbinza no Mikoto so frightening...

My brows furrowed...my vision was stunned by angry red and shameful tears. I hadn't felt this enraged since we nearly lost Chichiri back at Mt. Black. No...now it's even worse. Now all my friends were there...and I wasn't able to shield them, to protect them like I used to do, even just a little! I couldn't do too much, I knew I couldn't...I fought a small extent, but mostly I hid behind the Shichiseishi, using what knowledge I had to guide them after the battle was won or lost. They were the strength of Konan, and they spent so much time teaching me, guiding me in return. Miaka was likewise, and although I wasn't her soldier and she wasn't my miko, we shared a special bond. Some sort of girly connection. She almost always understood.

Why did Hitori have to try and kill them...when it's clearly my fault?

All the seishi...and Miaka...the nerves of that Tenbinza no Mikoto whatever he is, Hitori, involving them in something that I started. Why the hell did he have to be so strong? On the same note, why the hell did I have to be so weak...?

I had lots of things...an amulet, a magical lantern, a magical candle, my knowledge, my skill, my wits, my wisdom, my dog...I could go on and on. But despite all that, I haven't been able to use them to my advantage. 

"Why haven't I been able to use them to my advantage...?" I whispered, asking myself.

But the answer was already there, wasn't it...?

I stared down at my feet, or rather, the bunny at my feet. It was the same one that Chiriko held earlier that night. Its red eyes, as red as Suzaku's, stared up at me almost expectantly. 

It would seem that any animal with red eyes these days was Einstein in disguise. First, Chiriko-chan...I swear, the dog just **knows** what's going on. CLAMPraven noticed this first, and the little Nyan-Nyan told me. The way the dog stares at everyone with its red eyes, I could've sworn it was a messenger from the four gods. And now, this rabbit...

_Well? _It almost seemed to be asking. 

I sighed sorrowfully, now knowing full well where I went wrong. "Little rabbit...even you know more than I do, don't you...? 

"I have everything I wanted. I wanted a magical amulet with the symbol for gold on it...yeah, Suzaku got me that. I wanted a powerful weapon...well, who could say that this lantern isn't powerful? It's a stinking powerhouse. Literally. And then Suzaku got me this and that...a dog, a language, a love, a purpose in this world...and friends who learned to count on me. They were people I could relate to, not like the rest of the world, where I came from. For a while, I was just surrounded by superficial snobs; I was the unlucky bastard that didn't belong. All of a sudden, I meet innocent people...the Suzaku Shichiseishi, who treat me like an equal. It seems like this is the ideal place to be...except that they had magic and I didn't; and so I couldn't resist asking for superhuman strength. And what could Suzaku do but give that to me...?

"But I didn't want powers to defend what I have. I didn't want powers to protect and keep the sincerity I'd earned. I wanted powers because I wanted to place myself ahead. I wanted to be the best, above all my new friends. How could anyone call that righteous?

"They were powers of selfishness, something my subconscious mind couldn't tolerate. And so, they didn't help me. They only dragged me down. CLAMPraven told me a story earlier today, about a girl who wanted too much and lost the one thing that she realized was most important in the end, a girl who traveled to the world of Fushigi Yuugi to learn her lesson. I have a feeling she was talking about herself. I wonder if she and Suzaku had some sort of history, too...?

"But I don't want to leave this world, knowing that I was greedy. Greed ruins everything."

Looking up at the stars, I closed my eyes peacefully. "What do I have now, little rabbit? I have my honest friends. I have a previous love that had forgiven me, and I have a new love that understands me perfectly. I have my dignity, I have my strengths. I even have Chiriko-chan, a perfectly loyal pet. I don't need greed to get me more than that."

Raising my head, I snapped out of my little magical girl-ish anime trance, to glare in the direction of Hotohori's palace. "Well, one thing's for sure. Anime realm or no anime realm, time doesn't freeze for you to give a pretty speech. Hitori...Hitori's in there.

"Please, Suzaku...give me honest powers...

"...so that I may fight once more..."

Suddenly, I felt a rush of power in my veins...along with it, an ache in my soul. 

I blinked, my hand going up to my chest, where my heart was. 

What...what just happened...?

No time to wonder, though! I snapped out of my stunned trance. I had to go...I had to go save them...!!!

The symbol for gold glowed even brighter on my wrist, where my amulet's power was focused. I felt as if that little speech I gave myself and the rabbit actually recharged me; I no longer felt my doubts, and to top it off, the yanagi candle's smell died off at my command. That was good. I had to save that power for Hitori when I get to him.

In fact, I felt no pain...only my desire to help the Suzaku no Miko and my beloved Shichiseishi.

With a silent smile, I dashed off towards the palace. That sharp pain in my heart no longer bothered me! I hardly feel a thing!

This must be my power...endurance...

~Suzaku~

My scarlet brows furrowed as I clutched my chest the same time Jenny did on screen. "What the..?!"

The pain snaked through my veins and immediately struck my interest. It lasted only for a second, but I couldn't help but know that something wasn't right...

_That sharp pain...what the hell was that...?? It felt like someone just died..._

"Something terrible happened."

"Wha...?" I turned to see Byakko sitting on the couch with me. The tiger god was in his human form, his yellow eyes focused intently on the screen; the kittenish slits in his eyes had shrunk. His fists were shaking, and his face whitening. his jaw had fallen, and his aura flared. 

_Byakko's using psychic powers again, _I told myself, _his specialty. Must be damn serious._

"Something terrible happened," he repeated, turning to stare at me. He obviously heard my thoughts. His voice was a mesmerized murmur, barely audible. It made me bristle nervously; I could sense his intense fear.

"You felt a jolt of pain, didn't you?" he continued. "So did Juri. My country isn't Konan, but I'm a strong psychic, so I could sense it. You only ever sense unexpected pain when someone in Konan close to you either show strong emotion, have just died, or both. Especially if that someone happened to be either of royal descent, a Shichiseishi, or your miko. Correct me if I'm wrong, but that's it, isn't it...?"

I cocked my head to one side, confused. "What are you getting at?!"

Then I realized it. 

"Oh...oh, no..." I murmured quietly in disbelief. "That's impossible...not here...not now...Byakko, that's not true. It can't be...!!" My mind was frozen, my senses stunned by sudden anger. 

This wasn't happening...

"That bastard...Hitori!!!" I gasped, staring down at the ground. My fists were clenched, my eyes blazing red. The nerve of that Tenbinza no Mikoto...equality, my ass. He went off and killed one of my seishi, trying to 'bring justice'...!! Who the hell did he think he was...? It was one of my own seishi, goddamn it!! One of my seishi that I had watched grow up from their birth, granting the special ones their powers and...whatnot...

How...dare...he...?!?

"That bastard of a Mikoto...he...went and killed a seishi, didn't he?" 

I turned to Byakko, my voice desperate. My eyes were watering as well. "Don't tell me he killed one of my seishi. Byakko...who was it? Who...who was killed, damn it?!"

"Not killed necessarily...but he's been hit by the Tenbinza no Mikoto really bad, and Mitsukake isn't there. If he doesn't get help soon..."

"...not dead. Not yet. But hurt bad enough to make me wince. Who is it, Byakko?"

The tiger god barely glanced at me, his eyes sympathetic, but I already knew...

The image of a sweet, intelligent little boy appeared in my mind, his symbol blazing on the tip of one foot...his smile meant for one person and one person only, the love he gave up for me...

-

~Tasuki~

"**CHIRIKO!!!!!!!!!!!**"

My desperate shout hit the walls as soon as the fragile little body hit the floor. Red liquid spewed in all directions as Chiriko, Suzaku Shichiseishi, clutched his bleeding chest and screamed in pain. Soon, Chichiri had rushed to his side, while the blood flow never decreased.

I couldn't believe it... "Chiriko..."

Everything happened so fast...

-

_...flashback..._

_I turned to Miaka as Hitori, the Tenbinza no Mikoto, finished his transformation into an even more feminine version of Chibi-Nakago...and more frightening, in drag queen robes that stun my vision. I saw Tamahome and Chiriko back off, hesitant. The room was locked...no one could get in. It was a full-fledged battle...yet we knew the two seishi couldn't defeat the damn Mikoto by themselves.Drawing my tessen and glaring meaningfully at my miko, I asked the question that was on all our minds._

_"Miaka, Suzaku no Miko," it was barely a whisper, "do we help them?" _

_Miaka stared at me, then at Hitori. Her scared frown forced itself into a determined smile. "I'll help them if everyone's up to it," she nodded._

_I grinned at her, full-fanged and proud. That's our miko, all right. Always sacrificial when she needed to be. _

_"So..." I turned to everyone else, "...you heard what our miko said. Are we gonna help Chiriko and Oni boy or not?!"_

_"Hai. I can't speak for everyone, but I'll fight to the death if need be," Hotohori agreed readily, with a knowing wink at Miaka, his love. The young emperor drew his sword, gleaming in the light of the room. At the same time, Chichiri nodded and gave a small, assuring "hai no da" as he raised his staff in the air. Mitsukake nodded silently as well, with Tama-neko on one shoulder and Chiriko-chan at his heel. _

_"Right!! Huh...?" It was only then that I realized that Hitori hadn't made his move yet. Turning around, I glared at the blonde, now floating in the air with angel wings. "HEY!! What's your f*cking problem?!?"_

_Hitori smiled at me pleasantly. A little TOO pleasantly. He almost seemed...amused by our antics. "If you would like to fight as well, I would gladly wait on you," he beamed, waving a wing in my direction as if beckoning me. "Who am I to stop you from accompanying your little friends? Go ahead; join the party." He side glanced at me with those sickening long eyelashes and sighed, almost as if regretfully. "Besides, it would be such a shame if I had to kill you lovely Shichiseishi. You in particular, Tasuki. Such beautiful young men gone to waste..."_

_I blinked. "You're a sick homosexual little freak, ain't ya?"_

_"BISEXUAL. I emphasize, **BI**SEXUAL." This was followed by a shrug. "Can't help it."_

_...flashback..._

-

And then everyone started fighting. Hotohori, impressive swordfighter that he was, hacked right and left while I flashed my tessen; flames sputtered everywhere, blinding the room. While my fire barrier sealed Hitori off, Tamahome rushed forward for close combat, distracting the Tenbinza no Mikoto from the more vulnerable Shichiseishi, Mitsukake and Chiriko, who guarded Miaka for all they were worth. Even Chiriko-chan had dashed forward, snarling fearfully at the Tenbinza no Mikoto. In all the commotion, Chichiri's mask had fallen off, and the intimidating scarred face darted from flame to flame in the room, followed by dangerous ki blasts from all directions.

It seemed as if our strategy was working...but the Mikoto was strong. Too strong. His light alone slashed our visions, blinding us when we were close. He didn't even bother fighting physically with Tamahome. All he had to do was raise his mace, and haunting masses of energy would follow, stunning the seishi and knocking him off. Chichiri and Hotohori had both managed to get close to him, but he only raised his two massive angel wings and both were stunned by the inhuman light. Explosions demolished the room left and right, as if the flames weren't enough...when I managed to get a good look at what the blonde was doing through the inferno, I realized that all his power came from the golden scale he was holding, and yelled this out to the seishi.

Miaka heard as well...she just had to be so damn careless! She actually ran through the flames, trying to knock the scale out of the Tenbinza no Mikoto's hand! One flick of Hitori's wrist, and I could only watch as our Miko was sent sprawling on the floor. Once she regained consciousness, she cried salty tears, but to no avail; with help from me, Mitsukake carried Miaka out of the room to a safer location while the battle raged on. But with the healer gone, there were no guarantees...

I tried the same thing Miaka did, and so did the other seishi. I knew that if I could get that 'scale of justice' out of his hand, he would be vulnerable. I tried flaming my way through, but I was knocked away by Hitori's light...the last thing I saw before getting attacked was that satanic smile on his lips...and Chiriko rushing forward to help me...

And now...

"Chiriko..." I whispered as I approached the boy's body, held tightly in Chichiri's grasp. The bleeding from the gash on his chest was made by a direct swipe of Hitori's mace. The bleeding had not stopped, and now the liquid was spilling across his small body and onto Chichiri's clothes. The heat of the room didn't help him...the little seishi choked on the fumes, gasping for breath. The other seishi, Tamahome and Hotohori, both noticed this as well, but before they had time to react, Hitori had launched a full-out attack on them once again. Even Chiriko-chan was too distracted by the Tenbinza no Mikoto to do anything.

I felt my anger boiling inside me. "Chiriko, hang on...don't you f*ckin' dare die on me now..." Hot tears were flowing from my eyes as I stared at the wound on the boy's body. If he continues to bleed...

Chichiri, thoroughly angered, clutched the boy closer as if in a protective trance, and glared menacingly at Hitori through his one eye. His scar burned into his skull, his hand grappling his staff with bitter vengeance. If looks could kill, the Tenbinza no Mikoto would probably be in a lava pit somewhere in the depths of hell, serially poked by Satan's pitchfork. The monk then turned to me. 

"Any longer than about five minutes, and Chiriko could be gone," he told me in a dark, almost possessed voice unlike his own. His symbol flared on his knee, brighter than my tessen's flames. He had long lost his usual no da's. "He can't last much longer in this firepit. I'll take care of him for as long as I can; find Mitsukake and Miaka and bring them here. Without Mitsukake's healing powers, he might as well be already gone."

"But..." I stopped, staring into Chiriko's eyes. The little boy's voice was hoarse, and he was mouthing something...a word. I realized it was 'Juri'.

I narrowed my eyes as more tears flowed; it became obvious to me now, and it nearly broke my heart.

Chiriko couldn't hear us very well, but he already knew what was going on. He knew he wasn't going to live much longer without Mitsukake. He knew the chances were slim. But he still wanted to see Juri, one more time before he dies...!!

My heart ached for him. "Mitsukake...already used his powers...to heal Miaka...didn't he." I whispered, my voice strangled.

Chichiri stared at me. His expression was unreadable, but I could sense the desperation in his voice.

"Fetch the healer, Tasuki...and for the rest, just let fate be..."

-

~Jenny~

I followed the smell of the smoke. Now I'm more glad than ever that I managed to make that damn yanagi candle stop releasing its power. And what is more, since I stopped the smell, those damn bunnies left me alone, and I didn't have to trip over their sorry little asses...

Now I could follow my nose, and it'll lead me where I needed to be. Just hope I'm not too late...

Must be Tasuki and his tessen that caused this, I thought to myself as flashes of light erupted from a room nearby. I stopped, curious, and examined the room. It looked like Hotohori's room that I saw earlier...could it be the place I was searching for?

Another flash of light from behind the doors confirmed my suspicions. "This is the room, all right. Hitori's right behind there. Well, power of endurance, time for my first battle."

The kanji 'gold' on my amulet glowed confidently...I could feel my new power working inside me strongly now. I felt as if I could do anything. That was good, wasn't it? I had to use this power for at least a half-decent cause this time. 

It was time to fight...not for myself, but for my friends. Selfishness had never done anything for me. 

_Jenny..._

I grinned, reaching for the handle to the doors of the room. Open those doors, and you'd be right inside the battle where you should've been all along, Jenny. Yeah, Suzaku?

_You know that sharp pain you sensed right when you got your endurance power to work?_

Yeah...I think so. Why? You sound a little weird, Suzaku...are you okay?

_...No. Not really. Jenny, that pain meant something. Something awful had happened, and I'm not sure if you..._

Come on, Suzaku, what's wrong? I have my powers, and I can help the rest of the seishi like I wanted; what could possibly go wrong now? Grasping the handles, I swung open the doors to the blazing room...

* * *

_Suzaku: ...and I'll stop there. Well, how's she feeling?_

_Byakko: The tranquilizer's worn off, and...(dramatic pause) ...she'll be fine. A little woozy, but our old CLAMPraven is back!_

_Suzaku: CLAMPraven is a monster in her own right. Still, better than CLAMPraven the insane sugar-high akuma any day. _

_Juri: You know, guys..._

_(Suzaku & Byakko): Eh?_

_Juri: Two things. First off, she would never believe us when we tell her what happened during her sugar high. _

_Suzaku: Not a bad thing, Juri. In fact, we don't even have to...(shudders). What's the second thing?_

_Juri: Okay. Secondly, without CLAMPraven on a mass-destructive sugar-high rampage, and with March break almost gone, what are we going to entertain the people with?_

_Byakko: ...You have a point there._

_(Everyone): Hmm................................................._

_-Suzaku! _


	21. Dramatic Transition' Sadistic

**"Juri"**

**-from girl to oracle-**

**By CLAMPraven**

* * *

~ Dramatic Transition ~

Part 20 of the Legend of Juri - Sadistic

* * *

ANO...(stares at computer)...**SUZAKU SCREWED UP ANOTHER CHAPTER?!?!? **

(echoes)

_Byakko: (cringes) Please don't scream, CLAMPraven-san..._

_Juri: CLAMPraven, onsider the circumstances. You're in a hospital bed from a recently monstrous sugar-high that you remember nothing about. Do yourself a favor and stop bashing your head against the laptop, **PLEASE...**_

...I knew this was going to happen. I just knew it. I heard that Suzaku was going to write Part 19 of the legend during my stay in limbo.

_Juri: (cocks an eyebrow) You can hear...in limbo...?!?_

_Byakko: That means that even when you're unconscious...you're conscious?_

(shrugs) It's like Suzaku always says. As a crazy fanfiction writer, I am invulnerable, invincible, and immortal. The laws of physics, logic, and sanity do not apply to me. I can hear perfectly fine in limbo...just can't do anything about it. 

_(Juri & Byakko): (thinks back to the times when they've insulted CLAMPraven while she was 'unconscious') Oh, shit._

(nods) This makes it very hard for you to rebel against me. But if I was on a sugar high like you said, white chocolate is a deadly substance and Suzaku did the right thing. (narrows her eyes) Are you SURE that I almost destroyed Konan with Teletubbies?!

_(Juri & Byakko): (nod like hell)_

Hm. In that case, I won't kill anybody...today, anyways. Funny thing is...Suzaku didn't put me in his chapter at all!

_Byakko: (rolls his eyes) That is to be expected, CLAMPraven-san._

_Juri: Suck-up._

_Byakko: Shut up!_

Just have to reinsert myself back into the story somehow...(sweatdrops) Juri, you can let the good kitty go now...

-CLAMPraven 

* * *

~Jenny~

Grasping the handles, I swung open the doors to the blazing room...

Torrents of blinding smoke immediately poured out, stunning my vision. Coughing and sputtering, I covered my mouth with one hand, blindly waving away the dust and stumbling over the drivel. Upon forcing my eyes open, I could only sense the driving heat, the deathly atmosphere, the sense of insane panic...

...And my friends...where were my friends? 

Was...was I too late...??

"Tamahome...!!!" I screamed, desperately trying to find the Shichiseishi. "Miaka...!! Chi...chichiri!!!" Gasping for breath, I stumbled upon fallen chairs and bloodied floors, trying desperately to get my bearings straight. "Chiriko!!! Hoto...hori-sama!!!! Where are you?!?"

Sounds of sword clashing with metal fell upon my ears as I fell upon my knees, choked by the heat, grasping on to my lantern for my only protection. Shouts of fighting and crying shook my limp form. 

So at least they were here... 

"Suzaku..." I murmured half-consciously, not sensing the ground-shattering light blasting my way...

_ "LOOK OUT!!!"_

Gentle arms wrapped around my numb body, and my savior leaped out of the way just in time...my face felt the warmth of his muscled chest as the sound of an explosion assailed my ears. Struggling, I opened my eyes and looked up to meet his gaze...

"Ta...Tamahome...?" I murmured, reaching up to touch his vague image. "Is...is that you? ...What's going on...?" 

Painfully, I tried to sit up as the seishi let me go, confident that I could now focus. 

"Are you alright?" He asked as he backed off, giving me space.

"Hm...about as alright as the average person who nearly got killed in the past ten seconds." I replied, hoisting myself up. Tamahome aided me, which I kindly accepted; being modest at war times was enough to save your lousy ass, I reminded myself as I handed him my lantern, for the moment.

It was then that I noticed him. 

Floating halfway in the air, glowing in the middle of the room, was Akiyama Hitori, clothed in dark indigo silk and bearing massive angel wings that, in full wingspan, would've easily been over the length of the room. He was engaged in a fight with Hotohori...no, more like playing with Hotohori; his mace released earth-shattering ki that easily blew the young emperor away, although Saihitei Seishuku was not one to give up. Sword clashed with gold again and again, and I squinted painfully from the sparks of the heat and battle.

From the direction of the light, I could tell that all the power was being generated by the golden scale balanced on his right hand, and after watching, I could easily tell that that was what Hotohori-sama was aiming for, but to no avail. For the most part, Hitori didn't look quite like himself. What seemed like an eight-year-old easily became the androgynous, sadistic Tenbinza no Mikoto...

...My ultimate fear... 

"Juri? JURI!!!"

The shout tore my attention from the fight. Startled, I stared around...

...And gasped in horror.

NO!!! NO!!!! NOT CHIRIKO!!! My mind screamed. WHAT DID HE DO TO DESERVE THIS?!?

My former lover was lying in a ghastly puddle of his own dark blood, splattered across his revealed chest and the ground around him, fusing with the fire and smoke. His face was a disastrous mixture of crimson gashes and pain, his mouth, though silent, calling out my name...

No...no!! Where was Mitsukake, damn it?! Hell...this wasn't how it was supposed to happen...you weren't supposed to die that way!!!!! You had always given me and Suzaku your blessings...you were supposed to live to see the day we unite as lovers...you were supposed to die by my side...!!!

Suzaku...what have I done...?!?

The one who I had actually heard was Chichiri. The monk, mask-less and enraged, knelt by the small boy, lending him his power, though only enough to slow the blood flow and not completely stop it. Chiriko-chan also stood, red eyes glazed, snout stained from the dying Shichiseishi's touch. Even CLAMPraven crouched there, sobbing.

Chiriko...no...!!! Hitori...Hitori did this...!!!! My thoughts were pure rage, directed at the nonchalant Mikoto...the Mikoto that dared to hurt...my Chiriko...

I was not his lover, and I could never return his affections the way he wanted me to, but he was still my Chiriko...he was like a brother to me...! 

He...loved...me.

Tearing myself away from Tamahome, leaving my lantern in his hands, I stumbled, as if crippled, to Chiriko's side, screaming his name. Turning his head, the boy's eyes widened as I narrowed the distance between us, as I ran through the flames. Though he lost his voice, those eyes glistened with muted joy; tears ran down his cheeks when our gazes locked. Soon I realized that I was crying, also, but for another reason...

Staggering, my burnt and battered legs gave way when I finally reached him, and I fell to my knees. In a moment of sheer grief, I wrapped my arms around the small boy, my fingers buried in his tousled hair and my tears staining his bloodied chest, sobbing and clutching onto him as if he would disappear if I ever let go...

"Chiriko..." I whimpered softly, "Chiriko...what have I done...?"

Where was Mitsukake...? My God...he really was going to die, wasn't he? He was about to die...in my arms...

"It's...o...kay..." The dying boy's hoarse whispers was barely audible in the midst of the smoldering and clashing of weapons, but I clung on to that voice. "It's...not...not your fault...and it's not...my fault...don't always...blame yourself...Hitori did this, not y-you...Hitori..." Chiriko managed to smile, red liquid choking his words even as he said them, but...he swallowed his pain just to smile for me. 

"Be-besides..." he continued, weakening even as I grasped his frail body, "Heaven's got to have a place for me...I'll...I'll be able to see Nuriko...and...and Suzaku-seikun...so, don't cry, Juri...please..." The boy's smile disappeared, almost pleading. "...Please don't cry...don't cry for me..."

I held onto him, but, yes, his words registered in my mind. Suzaku would take care of him. I had almost forgotten about Heaven...as if Nuriko's death wasn't enough to teach me...

Chiriko's body lurched violently as he coughed up even more blood upon my sleeve. Trying my best to keep a straight face, even though it hurt me as well, I patted his back gently, and tried to soothe him, while Chiriko-chan, CLAMPraven and Chichiri beside me watched uncertainly. 

"Yep, Chiriko..." I whispered softly, forcing in a light, half-hearted chuckle, "...of course there'll be a place in heaven for you. Nuriko...he's there, too, reunited with his little sister. It's a little strange at first, but you'll see that it's paradise. The four gods are beautiful creatures, and Suzaku-seikun the most beautiful of them all. I can't wait until you meet them. Take it from me...Suzaku-seikun is a gentle thing deep down, and he'll take care of his soldiers...he'll take care of you and - "

"Not really."

-

~Hitori~

I smiled at the horrified expression on little Juri's face when I said that. The poor girl got here in time for nothing. Nothing, that is, except the grand finale.

I had already swiped away Hotohori; the annoying young emperor was a fierce warrior, but even he froze when I said those two words. Tamahome, as well, made no move, simply grasping Juri's lantern and glaring in my direction. As the young oracle turned her head around, grief-stricken and fearful, still clutching onto the boy Shichiseishi, I could see that her once saddened expression had turned into alarming rage against me. 

This surprised me slightly; the fire in her eyes were of an inhuman quality, almost beastly. They were the eyes of Suzaku himself. It had occured to me that she was no longer fearful of the consequences. Her fury was kicking in, and it couldn't be halted; she had become a monster of her own passion.

"You..." she hissed quietly, her eyebrows furrowing, her expression wounded and furious beyond words. "You...tried to kill Chiriko, did you?"

To her surprise, I laughed, and shook my head. What a cute little girl...! She wasn't naive...no, not quite, but she had a little too much menace in her for her own good. "Ah, but isn't he already as good as dead?"

The girl glared at me, but I continued nonchalantly, as I had done many times before. "The worst thing in the world, as you know already and will find out first-hand soon, Juri, is to watch a friend die knowing you can't do anything about it. In this case, it's even worse. This was not how Chiriko was supposed to die at all...no...and therefore, it will alter the future even more dramatically. A bonus for the Seiryuu seishi, if you will."

Tears were now streaming down Juri's cheeks. Cringing at my level of cynicism, she turned away...and handed Chiriko's body to CLAMPraven.

As she stood up, I raised an eyebrow in awe. "You wish to fight me still?" I asked, with a hint of laughter in my voice.

"Tell me what you meant."

"What I meant by what?"

"When I said Suzaku will take care of Chiriko's soul, you said 'not really'. What the hell did you mean, damn it?!?" The girl was shaken with anguish, her fists clenched and her eyes blazing, but knowing full well in her heart that she could not defeat me. 

This took me by complete and utter surprise. The girl was wise...almost too wise. And yet she knew her feelings spoke more truthfully than logic. My prospective of her immediately altered to that of a girl who would die happily, regardless of how she was killed, or how brutally her common sense beat down upon her as she was being killed. No...none of this mattered to her. Not at all.

I should've known.

My sadistic smile changed into a bitter frown as I floated closer to her, becoming more frightening by every inch. "What did I mean by 'not really'? Why, you of all people should know. You were the one who brought all this about, after all; your unwise decision led to mine.

"You chose to love Suzaku over Chiriko. Now, you shall pay the price. I had always told you that there would be serious consequences. But now that I've seen what a dedicated fighter you are, I have changed my mind. As the absolutely righteous and just general, the Tenbinza no Mikoto, I should've killed you quickly...with a swipe of my _nails, _you would be a bleeding corpse by now. But no...I do think you should suffer more than that, don't you?"

Smiling once again, I raised my mace, the golden staff of truth. It began to gather golden energy immediately. "You should watch your lover and all your friends suffer, just as you have been doing. It is not hard, to pull the plug on everyone's powers. Right now, I hold the honorable right to do so. I am the judge of this universe, albeit not always in control of my little citizens, such as yourself. Right...that is my fault. I can admit to that. Therefore, I must punish those who don't obey, or, in my case..." I shuddered quietly, "...be punished. Therefore, I'd go with the former. You, Juri, get to watch as those you love get ruined...of course, this is all your own doing, so you shouldn't be too upset. That wouldn't be logical, ne?"

"First off, as the rule books say, I have to take away Suzaku's powers..." 

-

~Suzaku~

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGHH!!!!!"

Everything became a blur as I collapsed to the ground, clutching my chest and gasping for breath. The pain was excruciating, and it took over me, screaming and shattering my senses like a hurricane. It felt like a monster was tearing my ribcage apart, eating away at my heart and soul...

I couldn't take it. Sprawled out on the floor, I screeched in terror as the golden energy sent shocks through my body, taking away my powers...

"Suzaku?!" I could hear Byakko's shocked voice looming above me, desperately trying to see whether I was okay. The tiger god was in human form, and I could see his vague image. "Suzaku! Hang on!!"

"What's going on?!?" Nuriko was terrified. "Suzaku, what's happening to you?!?"

"My...powers..." I uttered with what breath I had, choking on those words. "The Tenbinza no Mikoto...Hitori...he's draining my powers...just like he said...AAUGH!!!" 

Coughing violently, I felt the last of the scarlet energy within me slipping away...Nuriko had tears in his eyes, horrified and not knowing what was going on...

...But soon, he would be gone, too, wouldn't he...?!

_HITORI!!!! _I screamed mentally, hoping desperately that he would answer. 

I had lost my telekinesis...I knew that. But if Hitori had his, his powers will support the conversation...I held my breath, anxious for any response...

A light, sickening chuckle answered me. /This is he, Suzaku. Imagine...now you plan to beg! But you are pleading to the metal scale of justice, Suzaku; it won't do you any good. So, tell me honestly. Do you regret what you've done now? With only three gods in the heavens, what do you think will happen to Konan?/

His voice had no pity. /You've forsaken your duties to your people for a mere girl! Why do you think I'm doing this? Because I'm the big bad villain? I am draining you of your powers for your own good. Look amongst your people, Suzaku...so many of them are innocent. Oh, I'm sure Byakko and the others will try to help take care of Konan in your absence, but the only one who can bring Konan peace is you, Suzaku. This is not a game. Do you think one girl is worth the lives of thousands in your country? How could you even call yourself a god?!/ 

But I ignored him. _Some things you'll never understand, Hitori. Love is more precious than anything, and happiness will follow my decision, I'm sure of it. Right now, grant me what I ask. Please, Hitori...you can take all my powers away...but don't hurt my soldiers...please, leave Nuriko and Chiriko alone! They hadn't done anything!! And all of the Shichiseishi's relatives that I have preserved...Kourin, Hikou, Kouran, Shouka, Tamahome's siblings, and all the other souls...please, just leave them alone! _

Tears streaked down my face like waterfalls. _...Don't hurt them, Hitori. Don't hurt those in my power that are innocent..._

A pause, then...

/I'm sorry./

And suddenly, the ground collapsed below me; the last sounds I heard were Nuriko's scream and Byakko calling my name...even in dazed unconsciousness, I felt my body being surrounded by the light of the Tenbinza no Mikoto, hurdling through the clouds, heading for the imperial palace...

-

~Jenny~

My mind was completely at a loss for words. Hitori's mace was shining the most stunning light I had ever seen. It lit up the entire room; the glow of my yanagi candle was nothing compared to that. I could feel his powers all around me...as if I was swimming in it.

But what had he meant by taking away Suzaku's powers?! What was he up to...?!?

In an instant, I heard a loud, explosive crash, coming from the roof of the palace. Then, simultaneously, the ceilings of the rooms above ours broke apart, followed by blood-curdling screams from the upper levels. 

I gasped, staring at Hitori, who seemed to have kept a straight face through all of this. "What the hell are you up to?!?" 

The Mikoto shook his head, grinning lightly. "A little while longer...3...2...

"...1!!"

Suddenly, the ceiling gave way. Debris crashed all about us, crumbling once they reached the floor. Random screams could be heard, and Chichiri protected both Chiriko and little CLAMPraven from the falling fragments. Everything was in complete disarray as the rocks and the above floor's furniture rained down on us. 

Shielding my nose from the dust and squinting with my eyes, I could barely make out what seemed like a man's body, falling...no, floating through the ceiling, supported by Hitori's golden light...

What the...?

The man was let down gently at Hitori's feet, before a large slab of debris fell on me, knocking me to the ground. The murky atmosphere clouded my vision, and my senses were almost completely unconscious...

In the darkness of the falling dust, amidst the screaming and the crying, I could hear Hitori say:

"Now Suzaku is rendered powerless."

No...no...

"Everything he ever possessed, and all the souls that he used his powers to keep from the darkness of the afterlife, including Kourin and the other relatives of the Shichiseishi, as well as the dead seishi..."

No...stop...stop...!!!

"...shall now be placed in my possession."

NO...NO!!!!!! HITORI!!!! Hitori...

The last image that appeared in my mind was Chiriko exhaling his last dying breath, tumbling with Nuriko into the darkness of the Tenbinza no Mikoto...

Then...

Silence.

-

~Tasuki~

Flaming down the back doors to the room furiously, I sped in...

And gasped.

The ceiling of the room had been ripped open, as if something had fallen through it; the hole revealed that, whatever it was, had fallen through from the rooftop. From that collapsed ceiling, debris had crashed down; the rocks and dust were scattered everywhere...

I couldn't believe it. Where the f*ck did everyone go?!? Even Hitori had disappeared!!

Except...

There was a man, lying where Hitori used to be. His robes were tattered, his face scarred from the debris and tainted from the dirt. But upon second examination, one could tell that he was some sort of royalty. His crimson hair and sideburns were a flashing contrast from his pale skin. A fairly beautiful person, almost feminine, though judging by chest, it had to be a guy. After learning from the cross dressing Nuriko, I've figured out that you can't tell by just facial qualities.

But rest assured, I had no idea who the hell that was, or how the hell he got there.

All I knew was that I was too late. 

The battle...was over.

Soon, I could hear Miaka and Mitsukake step into the room, equally shocked. 

The two had ran outside the palace, where Mitsukake healed some of Miaka's wounds. It had taken me forever to decide that they would be outside, after searching...what? About 40 of Hotohori's private rooms? Most of them were just for the damn harem, anyway. By the time I got there, and Mits told me that he had already used his healing powers, I felt like I was going to die. But of course, it wasn't me who was about to die, was it...? 

"Where...where is everybody...?" Miaka asked, horrified. Clutching on to my arm, she glanced around the room...soon, she spotted the man lying on the floor. "Who...?"

"I have a feeling we'll find out as soon as we finish digging up everybody," Mitsukake scanned the room as well. Scaling the debris, he made his way to a large rock pile and started clearing it away. Miaka soon followed his example, working in other corners of the room. I, on the other hand, made my way towards the red-haired man I saw.

I knelt down beside him, observing quietly. He was breathing...he had to be alive. Sitting him upright, I stared, wondering where he came from, what happened. I was sure that Juri would know who the hell he was...or CLAMPraven, since she was a Nyan-Nyan. But strangely enough, he seemed...almost familiar. 

My thoughts were disturbed when he twitched, opening his startling red eyes...

-

~Suzaku~

My first impulse after regaining consciousness: 

_...OUCH._

My second inpulse:

_I feel so empty, so lifeless...guess my powers are really gone. This is what it feels like to be a normal person...!_

And my third:

_Why the hell was Tasuki holding me?!? **This isn't one of those yaoi nightmares, was it?!?**_

I blinked twice to adjust to the dust. Yep, the red hair, the fangs...the very odd earrings...it was Tasuki, all right. And judging by the scenario, it could've very well been one of those yaoi nightmares, except for the real damn backstabbing pain...!!!

"You're awake?" The redheaded bandit murmured incredulously. "What the f*ck did that Nakago wannabe do to _you?_"

My gaze softened. Same old Tasuki. "He took away my powers as a god, Tasuki."

_Tasuki's eyes widened with such surprise at my words. He must be wondering what I'm talking about. In Tasuki's case, what the f*ck I'm f*cking talking about. Hm... _

I frowned at the memories of the pain that Hitori caused me. "He took away all my powers. I no longer have my phoenix form. Along with that, he took away all the free spirits I was harboring. Nuriko and Kourin, amongst others, must be in his dark realm now. Now, the Shichiseishis' symbols won't glow, either, because they're being supported by me..."

Tasuki was staring at me very strangely now. He opened his mouth to say...

_Oh! Here it comes..._

"WHAT THE F*CK ARE YOU F*CKING TALKING ABOUT?!?"

_How very typical of you, Tasuki. Now, to answer or to slap the poor bastard in the face? _

_Might as well go with the former, Suzaku..._

_Yes, quite...might as well. And as a side note, why don't I stop talking to myself for a change, hm? Yes, that'll be good._

_(mental sigh) Soon, you'll be as spastic as Byakko, if you keep this up._

_Shut up._

_All right._

Well, at least my subconscious mind is being cooperative today. Now, where was I? Ah, yes.

"Tasuki...I am the phoenix god, Suzaku."

...

...

And now, Tasuki's reaction.

...

The reaction, damn it...!!

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!?!?"

* * *

Hahh...isn't it amazing how fast I can change the mood of the story? You know, play around, just a little...and just when you've run out of Kleenexes, too. How convenient.

_Suzaku: Yes, quite._

...Stop it.

_Suzaku: Can do. (nods)_

In any case, you know the drill. I update in one week, or you can go to the review page and scream at me. With that said, I leave you with the quote of the day. 

Thou shalt buy more Kleenex; thou shalt cry your heart out because of the next chapter; and after that, thou shalt kill CLAMPraven for killing another character, even off of the sugar high (this ought to give you some clue as to what's gonna happen); however, CLAMPraven will resurrect herself, and thou shalt cry some more, mostly from realizing there is no more Kleenex. 

Repeat steps 1-4. Ja ne.

-CLAMPraven 


	22. Dramatic Transition' Embrace

**"Juri"**

**-from girl to oracle-**

**By CLAMPraven**

* * *

~ Dramatic Transition ~

Part 21 of the Legend of Juri - Embrace

* * *

(sighs while lying in hospital bed) Wow...you know, it still amazes me how much commentary I'm receiving for Hitori alone. (sighs) There sure are a lot of you who hate the little guy. Honestly, is he worse than Nakago? He is chibi, and we all know dwarfs are evil...but is he really that bad? Me, I don't think so...not really. Although I can see why an 8-year-old in indigo drag holding a royal Elizabethan mace and a libra scale, smiling as he kills our kawaii little seishi, would have a bad effect on you. (takes deep breath) And you know what? All this time, I was just experimenting. Hitori and his freaky smiles...it's enough to make all of you grab your mallets, ne?

_Suzaku: And for those of you who got lost in the previous paragraph, let me clarify._

_Suzaku: (clears throat)_

_Suzaku: (w. black accent) ALL THE PEOPLE IN THE HOUSE WHO WANT TO BEAT THE F*CKING CRAP OUT OF HITORI, **MAKE SOME NOISE!!!**_

(hooting, shouting, jeering, various jungle noises, and what seemed to be a foghorn)

_Suzaku: (reverts back to normal voice). Hm. Yeah, that's what I figured. Now, back to you, CLAMPraven. _

...................You know, you're freaky when you start acting like you're from the ghetto. Please stop it.

_Suzaku: WHY?!? (pouts)_

Suzaku, you are as pale as the rest of us from writing fanfiction indoors all day. Do not scare me. Furthermore, do not tempt me to hurt you. But there is something you can do in the meantime.

_Suzaku: What's that?_

(smiles) Be a dear and fill me in on EXACTLY what happened during my sugar rush, will you? (Sits up in hospital bed, keenly interested)

_Suzaku: (oh, crap)..................Er, well, um, you see........._

(roughly 20 seconds later)

(From inside the hospital room) WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN, "YOU TRASHED MY OFFICE WHILE TRYING TO SHOOT A TRANQUILIZER IN MY LEG?!?!?"

(various crashing of hospital furniture and Suzaku's limbs, followed by blood-curdling screams)

_Byakko: (winces) Ooh, that's gotta hurt. (whispers) And I know I'm a bit spastic, but you can't help but agree..._

_Juri: (nods) One of these days, raven-san should learn the ancient art of restraint against chicken gods._

_Byakko: But what the heck...at least it wasn't us this time!!_

_Juri: (winks) Precisely._

-CLAMPraven 

* * *

~Jenny~

Blinking in the sunlight, I rubbed my eyes and stared around me, my vision indistinct and blurry...

It felt like only seconds ago when I was in a pile of debris, at the pinnacle of grief-stricken terror. The ceiling had collapsed in on us, and from out of the blue, the falling body tumbled, first quickly, then gradually descending at Hitori's feet. Judging by the light show, Hitori must've teleported it with his powers. It was a man, no less, and it seemed so familiar...I was almost about to lunge for the Tenbinza no Mikoto and the body when I was pretty sure I was hit by a rock, either on my head or my back. 

Damn those boulders...it was a boulder that caused the death of Nuriko, after all. A stupid boulder just had to block the entranceway to the Shinzaho and Nuriko just had to go and I just had to let him die and now Hitori just had to take his soul and...well, I digress...

In any case...

The early morning light of the sun peaked through the edge of my fuzzy vision. I was lying in bed, feeling like royalty. Royalty that hurt like hell from back pain, but royalty nonetheless. I didn't think I was captured by Seiryuu; I must've been in one of those guest chambers in Hotohori's palace that I haven't explored yet, undoubtedly one of the better ones, even though I couldn't see very clearly, because there were several very, VERY huge mirrors all around that scared the shit out of me. A classic Hotohori trait like no other, revealing just how damn ugly I look in the morning. 

Well, thank YOU, Hotohori-sama, but I had other things to worry about...

My thoughts weren't nice. No, not nice at all. I happened to be very grouchy after being knocked unconscious by falling debris and finding myself with blurry morning vision and an aching spine. Nonetheless, I was worried...

Tasuki, Mitsukake, and Miaka weren't there in the room where we'd battled earlier; who knew what could've happened to them? Tamahome and Hotohori got bruised up pretty badly after close combat with Hitori (still stalking us as far as I was concerned), and Chichiri was bruised up, too. CLAMPraven was pretty small, and although I remember her telling me once that she could transform into any Konannese animal of her wish, I had no idea how she fared against Hitori, or whether Miaka let her fight at all. Did they survive the debris?

And the Tenbinza no Mikoto's words still didn't leave my head, even after all of that; he had said that all the souls that Suzaku had harbored from the afterlife or rebirth, including Kourin and all the seishi's relatives, were now in his custody. That meant that, somehow, in some way, he had Nuriko. And Chiriko...

Oh, what was I thinking? I had to find this out on my own. First, to get up...

Blinking about ten times and wiping the blur out of my eyes, I mustered the strength to sit up, glaring around me through narrow, pissed-off eyes. When my inspection stopped at the door, I could see, just barely, strands of anti-gravitational blue bangs sticking through the crack, as well as loud, incessant clanking of metal (the shakujou, no less) against the doorway, even though it tried to make itself unnoticeable. 

Well, there's one of us now...

"Chichiri?" I asked in a hoarse voice, then cleared my throat the best I could. 

There was a loud CLANK as the monk's staff hit the ceiling in surprise. "Juri, no da?!? You can speak again, na no da!!"

"You could come in, you know." 

The arching blue bangs in the doorway bobbed sideways; I had a feeling Chichiri was probably shaking his head. "No...I don't think I should, no da." 

Insert feet shuffling. "You see, I...kind of lost my mask, no da. And, um...that room that was destroyed while we were battling the Tenbinza no Mikoto, no da? I kept all my spares in that room, na no da. My face is a mess, and I don't think it's a good idea to let you see it, especially just after you've woken up, no da."

I sighed. "Chichiri, you know that I'm not afraid of your face. I don't care if you've lost your other eye, or something like that. Come in; fill me in on what's been going on. Talking will do me some good, I think."

"Well, if you put it that way, no da..."

Soon after, the staff started clanking again as Chichiri hobbled into the room. I realized that he was using it for a cane; his ankle was twisted pretty badly. By the looks of it, he applied his own bandages. His clothes were a bit stained with blood as well; if he had any spare monk robes, they were probably destroyed along with his masks. And the horrible "mess" on his face was......well, just a few cat scratches. Probably Tama-neko went on his own personal rampage when Hitori showed up in fully-clothed drag status. 

I offered a small sympathetic smile as he came, with some difficulty, to my bedside, leaning his staff by the post. "Hi, Chichiri."

The monk only nodded shyly, refusing to look at me directly. I raised an eyebrow at this behavior. 

It's gotta be more than missing that stupid mask. He knows I couldn't care less about something that redundant. "Is something wrong?"

"Um..." The monk twitched uncomfortably, confirming my thoughts. "Well, you see, Juri-chan, no da..."

"Spare me the honorifics, Chichiri, please. Is the Miko all right?"

"The Miko? Hai, no da...Miaka, Mitsukake, and Tasuki came back to the room in time to excavate the rest of us, no da. Since Mits-kun doesn't have his healing powers back yet, Tamahome and Hotohori are being treated elsewhere, no da, and so is Chiriko-chan. I came out with just this twisted ankle. 

"It was strange, what Hitori did...when he depleted Suzaku's power, all the seishi lost the power of their symbols, no da. But your lantern, amulet, and CLAMPraven's transforming powers are not gone, because they drew their energy from Taiitsu-kun, not Suzaku, na no da," Chichiri explained, his voice sorrowful. 

I frowned. He still wasn't touching on the one subject I was most concerned about. 

"What about Chiriko, Chichiri?"

At the boy's name, the monk turned his head away. In the light, I could see that his eyes glistened with unshed tears. And in that one simple, simple moment, I felt as if all hope was finally gone.

Oh, Suzaku...this really was happening, wasn't it? Chiriko...he'd...he...

Silently, Chichiri reached for a pocket in his monk robes, rummaging around in search of something. Soon, he found what he was looking for. And with a last glance of his one eye, showcasing the most painful sadness I had ever seen, he slipped a sakura pink candle into my limp hands.

And the world stood still...

-

I fingered the object with an unreadable expression. The carnation pink candle smelled like the spring cherry blossoms, and in its base, was carved a bright, light red symbol. Although I couldn't read kanji, I could tell it was _cho_...stretch. 

Chiriko.

I was holding his power in my hand, and yet I knew his soul was elsewhere. If he was gone, then his soul now would belong to Hitori, just like Nuriko's and Kourin's and God knows who else's, all pitted into the Tenbinza no Mikoto's darkness...

And yet I had no tears left. I had no more tears to cry. 

_"Don't cry, Juri...please...please don't cry...don't cry for me..."_

As I held his cold, bloodied body in my arms that night, he made that one last request. It was something I vowed to do for him, albeit to myself. Wherever he was, in darkness or light, I had to make him proud of me. I have to make him smile. And to do that...

I had to smile. And I did.

Turning to Chichiri with as much of a grin as I could muster, I shook my head. "Nah...it's okay. We'll rescue him and defeat Hitori one day, if it means the death of me. We'll defeat him, I just know it. You know, Chichiri...I've already altered the future. If I can't be a decent oracle, then perhaps this is why the portal hasn't swept me up back to my home yet. Even if Suzaku and I weren't in love, I could've read all of your destinies, and never known my own. But perhaps this...this is my destiny. Maybe, just maybe, this is the way it's supposed to be."

Looking up to Chichiri, I saw only pride and sympathy in his beautiful eye. "I'm glad you think that way, no da."

"Yep...so anyways, Chichiri..." I changed the subject, "...you know, before that piece of debris knocked the shit out of me, I saw a body falling through the roof, and that was what caused the ceiling to collapse in the first place. It landed at the site. Hitori was controlling its fall, so I'm sure whoever it was must've been alive. Did you find anything like that?"

To my surprise, a huge sweatdrop conjured up on the side of Chichiri's head.

"Well, uh, to be honest, Juri no da..."

-

~Suzaku~

You'd be surprised at how many things can be on an ex-phoenix god's mind at one time. 

First off, Hitori. The Tenbinza no Mikoto had in the last 12 hours, not only been successful as to beating the crap out of most of my seishi, but has taken all the souls I was harboring from the afterlife (example, Kourin). He took Nuriko and Chiriko's souls, not to mention everything I own; to be fair, I'm guessing this included my hentai films, the couch, the TV, the laptop (this including the rough 2000 mp3's I downloaded, as well as several emulators and Konan-governing top secret programs), the cable, the cell phone...I could go on and on. And yet, Hitori has them now. What the hell...I knew he wouldn't touch them. But there was something about Hitori and hentai that I found extremely unnerving...

Secondly, my seishi. Since the Tenbinza no Mikoto drained my phoenix god powers, my seishi's symbols can no longer glow, leading to various horrible aftereffects. Tamahome's fighting skills won't be as smooth, and same with Hotohori and his swordsmanship. I'm guessing Tasuki won't run as fast, and Mits won't be able to heal for a long while. Chichiri's helpfulness will probably be shortened to a minimum without his wisdom backing him up, and Miaka...well, since everyone's powers are gone, that's a sure bye-bye to her miko status. Who knows what chaos will ensue...if I know Seiryuu, he'd probably use this to his advantage. A huge understatement, by the way.

_You don't have to worry about that, Chicken! I'm taking things over for you here, you know that!_

Eheheheheh...did I mention that Byakko was in my head? As things have it, I'm not in heaven. And, according to the Magna Charta of the Tenbinza, Byakko and I had a partnership. Same with Genbu and Seiryuu. If one of the two in the partnership is gone from heaven, the other must try to patch things up to the best of their ability. That's a third thing to look upon; you don't ever, EVER trust the sentimental tiger. I am scared. Very scared for Konankoku. 

And to top it all off, there's the situation with Jenny. What in the world was happening to the little girl now? I had no idea if she was hurt, and that scared me. Where once it was so easy to keep tabs on everyone, I had lost nearly all of my connections...I'd hate to think she's blaming herself for this. She was just a little girl...and while most little girls like to push the blame on other people, Jenny is so mature and wise that she...well, she's not exactly a little girl, is she? She had the guilt trip of 10 adults...I knew if I left her alone, I'd probably never forgive myself, either. 

All of these things, ALL OF THESE THINGS are important in their own right. Sadly, I can only deal with one thing at a time. And right now, I was very preoccupied. 

VERY, very preoccupied... 

Gritting my teeth, I glared at Tasuki. "I've said it a million times, and I'll say it again. **I AM SUZAKU, DAMN IT!!!!**"

Tasuki narrowed his eyes as several veins popped on my forehead. Oh, what I'd give for my godly powers right about now...

The seishi, however, was not threatened at all. "What a f*cking lie..."

"Y'know," he went on nonchalantly as my head leaked smoke, "most people have some sorta PROOF, before coming up to a Shichiseishi and trying to convince him you're the god he serves. If you really are Suzaku, why the hell don't you have your damn powers? And don't look at me like you think I'd believe all that shit you told me, Hitori taking away your powers and all that other crap. Besides, don't you think a Shichiseishi such as myself can tell if some street bum is my god or not?"

_...........................Op. Yep, conscience just died. Gotta watch out for that._

"YOU LOST YOUR SEISHI POWERS!!!!" I screeched, nearly leaping out of my chair. "YOU CAN'T EVEN RUN FAST ANYMORE!!! HOW THE HELL CAN YOU TELL?!?!?"

"HEY!!" Tasuki shouted in turn, turning red. "I can't run 'cause I got injured, that's ALL!!"

Standing up, he shot me a rough glare. "Now, you'd better report to our Heika, Hotohori-sama. Can't have a f*cking lunatic running around the imperial palace. And, when you get there, be sure to tell him your _real _name..."

"**MY REAL NAME IS SUZAKU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**"

The Mt. Leikaku bandit crossed his arms, closed his eyes, and shook his prissy little head of red hair at me as if I was a misguided loony on crack. It was _hard _to sit there and fight the urge to break his neck. And, just when I thought any last miniscule shred of self-control and dignity had snapped...

"What's going on here, Tasuki?!" Jenny shouted, staggering into the room with Chichiri on her heel.

My jaw dropped roughly 10 feet into the floor. 

_Lo and behold, today, we have been graced by the presence of an angel. Oh, how beautiful she looks as she walks into the room! Oh, freedom, oh, joy..._

"Juri!" Tasuki walked over to the girl. "Good to see ya! You wouldn't believe it, but this damn lunatic thinks he's Suzaku! Now, do you mind telling him wrong?"

I grinned wickedly when he said that. 

_...oh, sweet **revenge**..._

As soon as Jenny took a good look at little pitiful me, a very satisfactory _slap! _found its way onto Tasuki's cheek. And I must say...never had I felt so good about having a girlfriend...

"HEY!!! What the hell was that for?!?" Tasuki cried.

"You IDIOT!!!! Do you have any f*cking idea who you were keeping in custody?!?" Jenny glared, gesturing towards me.

"Well, it's not like he could've been f*cking **SUZAKU!!!!!**" He retorted.

The silence that followed told him all he needed to know.

-

~Tasuki~

My face paled about ten shades and my eyes bulged out like Suboshi's ryuuseisui. ** "WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!?!?!?" **

Staggering back, I nearly twisted my neck to stare at the redhead sitting in the chair, a wicked smile curving his lips. What the hell?!?!? 

This...was not happening, goddamn it...

Turning back to Jenny with my jaw somewhere on the floor, I stared in disbelief, stuttering curses. The girl just shrugged nonchalantly, in a 'should've known fashion'. Chichiri's huge sweatdrop barely hung on to the side of his head as he watched this.

"HE IS NOT **SUZAKU!!!!**" I screeched, staring back at the redhead. "HE CAN'T BE!!!!"

But of course, more f*cking silence. 

I just stared blankly as 'Suzaku', still wearing the same wicked grin, got out of his chair and stood up. After a few seconds, the man had made his way over to me. 

And suddenly, he seemed very, VERY big...

I watched, still with my jaw glued on the floor, as the god furrowed his eyebrows. It was amazing, his resemblance to Satan at that point in time. Two gleaming red eyes focused their flames on me. 

"So..." he smirked, "...I'm a lunatic, am I?"

I had no answer...just kept staring at the big guy in horror, while mentally cursing myself for calling my own maker a street bum. //Tasuki...you unlucky bastard...//

Nearby, I heard Juri sigh. Shaking her head, the little girl made her way to the two of us. "Suzaku..."

Suzaku turned his glare away from me as she came along. From where I was standing, I noticed, with surprise, that his expression had softened. Where once he was angry, his eyes said differently, as a grateful smile found its way into the beautiful features. Juri's features said the same, as the little girl beamed in return.

Soon, the two found themselves facing each other, and I found myself backing away in awe, focusing on the two lovers...

-

~Juri~

I gazed into his eyes as the room disappeared from view. In my mind's consciousness, there was only him...him and no one else...the rest of my vision was obscured as I stared, mesmerized by his beauty. Suzaku had towered above me, at least a few feet, but it didn't seem to matter, didn't matter at all...

For a while, neither of us said anything...even Tasuki and Chichiri nearby didn't make a peep, as we locked eyes for the first time...

"This is really happening, isn't it...?" I finally murmured, my voice a whisper. "We're finally united. For the first time, we've come face to face. Hitori didn't stop us...the rules of the world didn't stop us. We wished to be together, and here we are...you loved me and I learned to love you in return, and now..."

"Now we're finally together," Suzaku finished, grasping my hand and kneeling down to meet my height, his face inches away from mine. I could feel his gentle breathing, his warm touch. "That means something, doesn't it?"

I nodded. "Yes...we're destined to be...because our love came through."

And may all our dreams come true...

Smiling, Suzaku enveloped me in his arms, and my eyes widened as passionate lips met my own...

-

~Suzaku~

Even in my mind, I couldn't believe it. 

One minute, I was screeching my lungs out at Tasuki...the next, she was walking towards me...and the next, I was kissing her, full in the lips! How lucky was I?

Jenny was young...I figured I was the first to kiss her. Ever. And I deserved the title 'first to kiss Jenny full in the lips', simply because I loved her more than I loved anybody else. 

At first, I treated her...less than nicely. I thought her pretty face only served as entertainment. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it was true...a god was capable of love. Hitori had never been right...I could love, and it didn't always have to collapse on me like when CLAMPraven first came to the Universe of the four gods. The object of my affections had to be Jenny...at first, I was scared. I thought it was wrong that I had fallen, even partially, in love with a human. But the other gods convinced me otherwise, and I finally mustered the courage to ask her...although she was just as hesitant as I used to be.

I struggled for her love...I used to torment myself because I thought she hated me. To be certain...I had never in my life been more happy to have been wrong. When I managed to talk to her again, and discovered that she did care about me, I felt like I was finally...complete, somehow. I had always dreamed about having her return my feelings...and some dreams did come true. In my head and in my heart, I never expected our first eye-to-eye meeting to go any other way.

Now, if she'd only stop nipping at my tongue...

* * *

Ah...this is great. Freakishly short, but great. I think this is a good stopping point. How's it going with the clean-up, guys?

(Suzaku, Juri, Byakko, and the rest of the cast of Juri grumbled as they tried to put everything back in place in CLAMPraven's office. Everyone remember the little struggle they had when CLAMPraven was on her sugar high? They had to pay for the damage in full. And they were less than happy about it.)

_Juri: Just f*cking peachy, CLAMPraven-CHAN..._

_Byakko: Can't...swing...broom...any...longer...ACK! (collapses)_

_Suzaku: (working on his laptop) Okay, so that's $1295.95 in total damage to furniture..._

Well, at least they're working. (smiles) Now, for an important message. 

You'll notice that all the characters in Juri have their own special thoughts, marked out differently from one another so that you can tell the difference when a mental conversation's going on. Some are in italics, and some have special signs to enclose the text. In case you ever get completely confused in the future, here's a simple guide:

= Juri's thoughts/Tamahome's thoughts

= Nuriko's thoughts

_italics_ = Suzaku's thoughts

_italics_ = Byakko's thoughts

*_italics_* = Chiriko's thoughts

// // = Tasuki's thoughts

/ / = Hitori's thoughts

Those are all I've used in the story so far. If there are any others which I have missed, please inform me. And, for the characters that haven't had any mental quotes as of yet...

^ ^ = Chichiri's thoughts

= CLAMPraven's thoughts

^_italics_^ = Seiryuu's thoughts

_italics_ = Genbu's thoughts

That's all I have for now. But suggestions are welcome! Ja ne!

-CLAMPraven 


	23. Dramatic Transition' Determination

**"Juri"**

**-from girl to oracle-**

**By CLAMPraven**

* * *

~ Dramatic Transition ~

Part 22 of the Legend of Juri - Determination

* * *

Well, finally decided to update...but you have to admit, typing rigorously on Easter Monday is not my idea of fun. 

In case you're wondering, this chapter is a bit more focused on me, CLAMPraven, the most powerful and homicidal Nyan-Nyan in the world (smiles). Also, this chapter has a bit more background on the Tenbinza no Mikoto -

(this was greeted by some...very colorful jeering)

_Random reviewer: WHY THE HELL ARE YOU WRITING ABOUT THAT F*CKING ASSHOLE?!?_

.........Because...(takes out mallet) I happen to like this particular asshole, and there is more to him than you think. Yes, people, the Tenbinza no Mikoto, Akiyama Hitori, has a tragic past!!!

(dead silence)

_Random reviewer: WHO THE HELL CARES?!?_

(more jeering, followed by a shower of rotten fruit at a very disgruntled CLAMPraven...)

_Suzaku: (walks on from offstage) "BOO! You suck!!" quoth the audience. Take a hint, CLAMPraven. Change the subject._

Grr...well, what the hell do you have to offer?!

_Suzaku: (turns to audience) Did she tell you about the other stuff in this chapter? What about CLAMPraven's newest scheme to get rid of Hitori? What about the pink-haired Koudoutai Monk? Did she even mention the Sakura Gri -_

**AAAAAAAAGH!!!! **Nooooooooooooooooooooooo...DO NOT BREAK THE SUSPENSE!!!!! (quickly grabs Suzaku in a headlock and shoves him off the stage) WELL, MINNA...you'll have to read the story to see what Suzaku's talking about! Eventually, this will turn into a grand fanfic of Evangelion proportions worthy of becoming animated had there not been a disclaimer. Heheheheheheheheheh...*cough*damnsuzakuandhisloudassmouth*cough*...

(A small wimpy tomato is thrown at CLAMPraven's face from offstage. She nonchalantly splatters it with her mallet.)

(narrows her eyes) SUZAKU...you picked that out of the garbage, didn't you?!?

-CLAMPraven 

* * *

~Jenny~

After what seemed to be the longest time, I finally broke off the kiss, staring into Suzaku's eyes dreamily. "Wow..."

Suzaku smiled gently, and caressed my face. 

"WOW IS RIGHT!!! Holy shit, what the hell was that, an hour?!?!?"

Blinking, I stared up at an awestruck Tasuki and a sweatdropping Chichiri, all while still entangled in Suzaku's arms. What a sight we made. Startled and blushing furiously, I glared at the bandit. 

But of course, it was already too late...

By now, Tasuki had already ran into the hallway, grinning like an idiot while Chichiri turned SD, his sweatdrop bigger than he was. "HEY!!! MIAKA!!! ONI BAKA!!!! YOU'VE GOTTA SEE THIS, GODDAMN IT!!!!"

"Urg..." Exasperated, my head landed with a loud _thunk _onto Suzaku's chest, wishing I were dead. 

"Oh my god..."

"AH!! JURI-CHAN!!! YOU'VE GOTTEN INTO A ROMANCE AND YOU NEVER TOLD ME?!? WE COULD GO ON A DOUBLE DATE ONE OF THESE DAYS!!! Juri...?"

"Daaa..."

"This is f*cking HILARIOUS!!! MITSUKAKE!!! CLAMPRAVEN!!!! GET YOUR ASSES IN HERE!!!!!"

With my head buried in Suzaku's chest (and he was just about as calm as I was...), I shook my head. Good lord...

-

~CLAMPraven~

I smirked despite myself as I walked down the halls, Tasuki's voice ringing loud and clear nearby. As I rounded the corner, I spotted Mits, a stunned expression on his face. He was even more confused at my amused expression in all this. Hotohori came from behind him, mildly irritated by the shouting. And of course, there was the all-too-familiar bandit, with his head sticking out the door, babbling loudly...something about Juri and Suzaku, while Chibi-Chichiri tried to restrain him...

"You guys should've f*cking seen it!!!" Tasuki gasped, face completely red from laughter. "Juri and Suzaku were making out like the squirrels, damn it!!! Oh, did I mention Suzaku's in the house?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Wow...she sure as hell made her move quickly, didn't she?"

Tasuki's eyes widened, and his laughter was cut off. "You ain't surprised?!? AT ALL?!?"

Ignoring the redhead, I stepped into the room, Mitsukake and Heika-sama following suit. It took a few seconds to make my way into the gathering crowd of seishi and Miko...

And sure enough, crouching in the middle of the room, were Juri and Suzaku. Crouching, because the former god was about twice as high as the girl was. Their bodies were pretty much entwined, Suzaku's fingers trailing in Juri's raven hair, Juri's arms around his neck, pressed together in each other's warmth.

My eyes widened at this. The series of events were unraveling now better than I'd ever expected!

Slowly, my mind trailed back to that day in Mt. Black, when I first met the curious black haired oracle with the eyes of the bloodied rose. It was on that day that I vowed that I would help Suzaku find a love in this girl, something I was never able to provide him with. And although I never did much to help them, I suppose it's alright in the end as long as they're happy.

Yes, this would've been a Kodak romantic moment...had it not been for the fact that Juri was hiding her face in Suzaku's chest in embarrassment, her neck and his face the color of nosebleeds. The poor Ex-phoenix god might as well have had the words 'death glare' written in pink graffiti all over him. It didn't help that Tasuki was poking fun...

While Miaka cooed over how adorable they were, Suzaku shot me a worried look that clearly asked whether I was okay with this. He once did like me, although I failed to respond. He knew I still liked him...poor thing.

I shook my head, smiled a toothy grin, and flashed a mini peace sign before squeezing through the crowd and out the room, just as the two were disentangling themselves from each other's grasps.

I had other things to do...

-

~Tasuki~

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the little Nyan-Nyan leaving the room. Her pace was urgent and her brows furrowed...hands down, this was her battle expression. As practically everyone else wrestled their way to Juri and Suzaku with questions, I frowned.

Perfect timing for a mental conversation...

//CLAMPraven's acting strangely today...maybe the debris hit her head in that crash...//

//Naw...couldn't have been that.//

//True...she dug herself out of the wreckage with only a few scrapes. She turned into a talking tortoise with the same pink nails and double-colored eyes and scared the shit out of everybody. She does that, you know...turn into animals and shit. Don't fuss over a damn girl, Tasuki.//

//Well...//

//Shit...you're NOT f*cking worried about her. A Nyan-Nyan, Tasuki?!? Get back in there and humiliate Suzaku and Juri, goddamn it!! It's not like she's anything important!//

//...What's your f*cking point?//

//...You got me. Well, f*ck...go after her if you feel like it; who the hell am I to stop you? I'm just YOU!//

//Good.// Turning away from the commotion, I headed out the door, all the more curious as to what CLAMPraven was up to. And somewhere in the back of my subconscious mind, I swear, I could hear a little voice screaming, //That was just sarcasm!!! I didn't mean it!!!//

-

~Suzaku~

Sheer HELL. Sheer and absolute hell. And don't any of those voices in my head dare try to convince me otherwise. 

The remaining seishi and Miaka jumped on what was left of me and Jenny's kiss like hyenas. Although none of them knew that I was actually Suzaku (nobody had gotten around to telling them yet), Tasuki informed them fast enough. Miaka was jumping all around the two of us like Bugs Bunny on too much caffeine, cooing and screeching about double dates, honeymoons, and protection (AHEM)...and the others weren't much better. Tamahome, however stunned, was probably imagining himself and Miaka in our place...likewise with Hotohori. Mitsukake just stared, while Tama-neko tried to pick his own jaw off the floor. SD Chichiri's sweatdrops continued to multiply like bugs and all crashed through the floor at some point or another. An interesting note...Chichiri was still not wearing a mask; seeing him SD without it was _very strange_...

And to rub salt in the wound, even CLAMPraven had the discourtesy of showing up. Damn it...she was the only one that didn't taunt me, ironically enough, because she seemed to hate me the most back when we knew each other. Ah, probably 'cause of Jenny...

This was all happening while my head was on boil; at least Jenny had my chest to bury her head into. But with how fast her own face was heating up, I was surprised it didn't melt a hole in my shirt or give me heartburn. Oh, she was much more lucky. I was just frozen there, damn me, and I had to watch everyone's reactions. But it gets worse...

Oh, _yes_, ladies and gentlemen...it got worse. Because, during the middle of this humiliation, I knew I had heard someone say, /I told you this relationship was cursed!/ 

I had dire trouble trying to see anything but red after that. Yep, it's all true...

Damn it, Hitori, you monstrously powerful satanic bigot of a transvestite, you just had to let me know you were so damn pleased, didn't you? You always did like Seiryuu more than me, but that couldn't have been it, could it?! I know you had a fetish for redheads. This is why you've flirted with me in the past, and this is why my pain is so arousing to you, no doubt; in fact, this is actually why I'm afraid for Tasuki right about now, because, if I know you, Tenbinza no gay-ass f*cking Mikoto, you've probably been giving my bandit seishi some naughty looks, haven't you?!? And yes, he did call me a street bum...I can give you that, but that's just peachy keen compared to the fact that my girlfriend and I will, through hell and high waters, eventually kick your ass!!! MUAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!! 

Oh, yes...revenge was the one thing I craved, if you couldn't tell from my little train of thoughts. 

_But at least sheer hell is over now..._

_...you think._

_Very well put, Byakko's voice inside my head. Now for your courtesy and mine, please shut up. There's already enough going on..._

"JURI-CHAN!! Please??? Tamahome and I would love to share a little heart-to-heart with you and Suzaku-seikun!!" Miaka latched herself onto Jenny like a blood-sucking leach, batting her eyelashes.

"NO, Miaka, no...no, no, no..." Jenny mumbled...again...

"What about a trip to the hot springs?"

"No...no...no...no..."

"To a restaurant, then?"

"NO...NO...NO...NO...NO..."

"How about to a festival?"

"And with my last dying breath, I only have one word to say. NO."

"At least on a walk!!"

"To infinity and beyond...NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! I'd strike a pose, but I'm too lazy."

Miaka scowls, and lets go of Jenny's arm. "Fine, then, you're mean." 

Jenny sighed in relief. "Thank the four gods you think that. No...three," she corrected, looking at a very human me.

There was silence for about another ten minutes.

-

Then...

"COME ON!! At least be nice and share a bed with us!!"

"How many times do I have to - **HELL NO!!!!**" 

I sighed mentally. _There is no release from the underworld, is there?_

_Well, Byakko chuckled, It's always good to think of the paradise you used to have. But then again, who doesn't like to see you tortured? Be glad Hitori's not invading right now..._

* * *

_For the rest of this inane chapter, we'll skip down to another region of Hotohori's palace to watch CLAMPraven at work; you've got to wonder what the little Nyan-Nyan was up to. Did she have a strategy in mind?_

_We are diverting you from the rest of the seishi, simply because Suzaku and Juri are doing jack. FORGET THEY EXIST. _

_Moving on..._

* * *

~CLAMPraven~

Finally...away from the insanity that is Juri and Suzaku snoggling. Now, time for business...

I treaded softly through the halls, minding my step as I passed the maids' chambers. Soft bird calls could be heard outside, but aside from that, the section of Hotohori's palace was empty. Glancing around, I looked for the door that matched Hotohori's earlier descriptions...

-

_...flashback..._

_Hotohori sat beside me, an expression of surprise and curiosity on his supreme features. I fixed him with an iron stare in return. Soon, he decided to speak._

_"Why do you wish to know this?"_

_My double-colored stare never ceased. "It is for my personal business only. It would be wise to leave well enough alone, Heika-sama." It was in my instinct to know how to negotiate. I didn't always swear, though that is what I feel most comfortable doing. Having lived the life of a Nyan-Nyan now for roughly 4 years, it's not hard to conform._

_"Are you a worshipper of the Mikotos?"_

_"No. I am strictly neutral, though I am a servant of Taiitsu-kun."_

_"Then...why?"_

_"I told you already," I responded, slightly irritated, "to leave well enough alone, Hotohori."_

_Seeing as there was obviously no way to convince me otherwise, Hotohori sighed. "I have no idea why I'm telling you this...after all, you are only a friend of a friend of mine, to be put simply. But I suppose if you wish to go to the Koudoutai shrine, for the Mikotos, that is your choice and yours alone._

_"The shrine has been up for a while now...roughly a few centuries. I believe there is still a young priest running it, though it has been left alone mostly unattended to, with few followers in this age and time. Most are too busy praising Suzaku to be worried about the Mikotos, though, undoubtedly, if the legends are correct, they are even stronger than the gods themselves...each Mikoto was given a purpose by the creator of this world, though according to stories, the creator changed her mind afterwards about creating them. By then, it had been too late. However, the 12 Mikotos are not meant to be evil; they simply try to do what's right with the Universe of the four gods. In Juri's case, however, the consequences of disobedience are tragic. But I digress."_

_"Across from the royal gardens are two huge fastened red doors, studded with gold. Across the top of the doorway should be a banner, displaying kanji of the 12 Mikotos. If it is the right place, you ought to know by the lump of rag sitting outside the doorway. Although, it is actually no rag...it's actually a Koudoutai monk, and I do think he's one of the only ones running the place. Kick him and he'll wake up..."_

_...flashback..._

-

Just as the thoughts of earlier today had coursed through my mind, I spotted it. Down at the end of the hall were the gigantic red doors that Hotohori had told me of. The gleaming banner on top of the doorway showed up brilliantly, its kanji gleaming. And right outside the doorway was the "lump of rag" that had the key. Figures...this was the place.

"What the hell...?"

My eyes bulged. Slowly, menacingly, I turned around to meet my inadequately-spoken stalker. So-o...that limping noise wasn't just my imagination... "TASUKI? What the hell are you doing here?"

Sure enough, the bandit was behind me, as cheeky as ever. I shot him a glare. "Why'd you follow me? Huh?" I repeated fiercely.

The redhead shrugged. "Wanted to know what the hell you're up to."

"Why...?!"

"For one thing, you'd never miss Suzaku and Juri groping unless you had something mighty f*cking important to do. Secondly, whatever the hell it is you're up to, it usually ain't no good."

I thought about that for a second. "True..."

"So...what're you up to?"

I sighed. He'd never leave me alone if I didn't tell him. Might as well give in. Straightening up, I took a deep breath, then prepared myself for the worst. "You know the Tenbinza no Mikoto?"

"..."

"..."

"**WHY THE F*CK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT HIM?!?!?**"

(WHACK!)

"...Shit."

I glowered at him, my fist still raised. "Then shut up and let me talk, damn it."

Technically speaking, I had the strength of an animal. Since I can change into animals, they had long since become a part of me. I have zero tolerance, period...might as well have had "No mercy Nyan-Nyan" tattooed onto my forehead. I used this all to my advantage, of course...

"This isn't the first time I've heard of the Tenbinza no Mikoto, Tasuki," I continued nonchalantly as the seishi suffered from my claw marks. "Back when I was in the service of that old hag, Taiitsu-kun, I used to have to read all this shit about the 12 Mikotos. Part of my training under protest, you see. Taiitsu-kun encouraged the idea that the four gods and the Mikotos lived in unity, the Mikotos looking after each of their 12 own motives, always making sure that the gods followed suit.

"There are scrolls for the studies of Mikotos alone, "The 12 Magna Chartas of the Koudoutai". Each Mikoto follow their own policies on life, and they are written in holy references for Koudoutai monks to study. Most Koudoutai monks choose to live by the policies of just one Mikoto, since there is no way to satisfy them all. For instance, some of these monks simply call themselves Tenbinza monks, or Ohitsujiza monks, or Uoza monks, studying only one Mikoto, preferably the one that ruled over the month in which they were born.

"That's pretty much when I realized that not everyone agreed with the ways of the Tenbinza no Mikoto. The Mikotos clashed often, Tasuki. I'm pretty sure that there are at least some other Mikotos who are just as strong as Hitori, and don't agree with him. This is why I'm going to the Koudoutai shrine. I'm going to try to provoke some of the other Mikotos into fighting for us; they're the only ones with enough strength to oppose the Tenbinza no Mikoto. Akiyama Hitori was going to pay for what he's done, and what he's about to do."

My brows furrowed as I turned to Tasuki once again. "I'd once made a vow in my heart that I'm going to fight for Juri and Suzaku's love. I refuse to let them down. So, are you going to help me or not?!"

For a while, Tasuki just stood there in silence. Although there were no words, his fiery eyes told me everything I needed to know. With a shaky nod, he managed a smile.

I returned this smile with one of my own. "Good. In that case, let's go see if any of the other Mikotos can help our cause. Now, see that lump of rag over there, sleeping? Well, apparently, he has the key to the shrine. Now, I know your seishi powers are gone, but you do still have your tessen, don't you?..."

-

~Taikou~

"YEOWWW!!!!"

Scrambling, I blinked rapidly and screeched even louder, as I realized that my clothes were on fire. "AAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!"

My sizzling robes went flying into the air; in an instant, large streams of pink ki had gathered into the palm of my hand. Grunting, I lifted the mass of energy over my head...

"_Mizu no Mahou Ryuu!!! Taikou!!!_"

Immediately, a giant flood of pink water, in the shape of a dragon, soared upward and hit the burning monk robes, drenching away the fire. A second later, I held, with some distaste, shreds of what was left of my outer clothing.

_Well, at least I was wearing a second layer. But when the priest finds out about this..._

I blinked. 

_Wait a second...who lit my clothes on fire in the first place?_

Looking up from my blackened robes, I gasped.

Standing nearby were two figures. The first was a tall redhead, brandishing a metal fan that was still leaking smoke; judging by that, I could only conclude that it had some sort of magic spell to it. His clothes were that of a bandit, and his teeth were that of a large dog. Not too friendly looking...

The second figure gave me a much larger shock, however. It was a relatively small girl that I recognized immediately to be a Nyan-Nyan, one of the enchanting servants of Taiitsu-kun. But this Nyan-Nyan had black hair, not the typical shade of green...her fingernails were pink, and even her eyes were different colors, one dark blue and one light. This surprised me immediately, because eyes of two different colors typically suggested the ability to morph into other creatures, a deadly talent that was extremely rare and equally hard to control. 

It was a few seconds later that I realized both of these people were staring slack-jawed at me.

Sweatdropping, I sighed exasperatedly at the newcomers. "Okay...so my attack was pink water that looked like it came from either a bubble bath or a contaminated acid pool. I CAN'T HELP IT, OKAY?!? All my attacks are pink! My eyes are pink and my hair is pink! Even my name's TAIKOU, for Suzaku's sake!! I was born cursed, alright? Not only do I get slapped around by the priest who runs this place, not only am I forced to sleep out at the doorstep under protest, not only do I have to say "light pink" at the end of every one of my magic spells or it doesn't work, but I always scare away potential Koudoutai followers because they think I'm some sort of an...an okama!! Even a monk can only take so much! So now you think it's _fun _to light me on fire, or something? It's enough having the emperor, yes, the EMPEROR, tell his servants they have to kick me just to wake me up and have me unlock the doors! Is lighting sleeping people on fire some sort of new trend nowadays, and you just had to use it on me, a pink-oriented Koudoutai monk?!? DID I MISS SOMETHING HERE?!?!?"

(insert crickets chirping) 

I closed my eyes. Stupid, stupid newcomers. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to get some sleep..."

But of course, just as I was about to sit back down, the Nyan-Nyan spoke. "No! Come on...we're sorry for staring, okay? Now, can you help us? We just want to pray to the Mikotos...we need their help for a friend of ours..."

My eyes bulged. _Well, now...there's something you don't hear everyday. _"Need help from the Mikotos?! That's a bit harder than you'd think, miss."

"I don't f*cking CARE!!"

Stunned, I winced from the harsh language. But just as I was about to criticize her for it, I noticed the sadness in her eyes. 

The little Nyan-Nyan was angry and frustrated, but on the verge of tears as well. 

"You have to help us...you have to!" She clung on to my sleeve, staring up at me with such a fierce determination that I was taken aback. "Damn it, I vowed to make sure their love wasn't compromised!"

A small tear was shed reluctantly. "You wouldn't know how it feels...they're so close to finally being together, and now, _he_'s in the way...he has no right to stop their relationship! I don't care how powerful he is, or what he thinks is true justice, but he has no right...they belong together. It's destiny...it's destiny...please, I don't care who you are or what color hair you have, but please, please help us convince the Mikotos...help them be together..."

Although I didn't approve of swearing, and I had absolutely no clue what she was going on about, I didn't have the will to push her away. How could I have been mad at such an innocent face, just trying to do good?

* * *

I don't know...I didn't manage to fit all that much into the story at all. (shrugs) One chapter can only be so long, and I had to update sooner or later. I didn't get to the part about Hitori's tragic past, but HE DOES HAVE ONE!!! Erm...I just have to figure out just what it is, first, that's all...eheheheheheheheheh...

_Suzaku: (limps back onstage) Forget that shit!! You didn't even get to the part about the Sakura Gri-_

**AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUGHH!!!!!! THAT NAME!!! **SUZAKU ~ !!!! 

(Takes out a hydrogen bomb; in mere seconds, Suzaku is blasted all the way to oblivion. Or, in anime's case, America...)

_Suzaku: Where the hell am I? (looks around) _

_Suzaku: (Spots matricidal rabbits hopping around and eating people)_

_Suzaku: Hm...must be Chinatown. HEY CLAMPRAVEN!!! WHY THE HELL DID YOU SEND ME TO CALIFORNIA?!?_

(CLAMPraven's voice can be heard as an omnipresence, in bold italics.) **_Suzaku, this is not just anywhere in California. This is L.A., and you know that anything goes here..._**

_Suzaku: (sees Medusa running around turning people into stone) Uh huh..._

_**Wait...you're not scared?**_

_Suzaku: (watches dragons causing havoc and mermaids gnawing on human bones) Why should I be scared? It's Petshop of Horrors, isn't it? And just in the right time, too. I needed to pick up the barracudas I told Count D to keep on hold. (Trots down to Count D's shop)_

_**(blinks) O...okay... (hopes and prays that the barracudas can kill phoenix gods)**_

-

As a special author's note, actually, there are some terms I actually wanted to clear up. **Koudoutai**, for one, means Zodiac. The Mikotos are lords of the signs of the zodiac. There are 12 signs, therefore, there are 12 Mikotos. If I'm not mistaken, they are: Ohitsujiza (Aries), Oushiza (Taurus), Futagaza (Gemini), Kaniza (Cancer), Shishiza (Leo), Otomeza (Virgo), Tenbinza (Libra), Sasoriza (Scorpio), Iteza (Sagittarius), Yagiza (Capricorn), Mizugameza (Aquarius), and Uoza (Pisces). Me and my strange fetishes for horoscopes and Romaji. Figures.

Also, if I'm not mistaken, **Taikou**'s name means 'light pink'. Correct me if I'm wrong...I have very bad resources sometimes...

And as well, I realize that I have used several other animes in my author's notes alone. Meaning, **NEW DISCLAIMERS!!** First off, I used Wedding Peach on the first chapter, and I must say, I don't own Wedding Peach, and I don't want to. Just now, what I used was a typical scene in the life of Petshop of Horrors and extremely bad jokes. No, I don't own Petshop of Horrors either...but it's a damn good anime! Pretty dark, pretty gruesome...pretty much the same old, same old, but with crossdressers, pets with homicidal tendencies, and even the LAPD!! Go check it out...it's the only way you'll know that I wasn't insane when I wrote that last author's note, right up there...hehe...

-CLAMPraven 


	24. Forbidden Love in the Eyes of Stars' Ch...

**"Juri"**

**-from girl to oracle-**

**By CLAMPraven**

* * *

~ Forbidden Love in the Eyes of Stars ~

Part 23 of the Legend of Juri - Chastity

* * *

Yes...and you wonder where I get all these odd chapter names...

In any case, I spent a lot of time looking back on how far my story's gone lately. It did no less than amaze me. At first, Jenny just started out being an antisocial kid with a simple task in another world of bringing the Shichiseishi one step closer to their destinies. Afterwards, however, she starts to learn, little by little, how difficult that is in reality, from Chichiri's near-death to Nuriko's actual death. She overcomes greed, selfishness, and the shock of loving someone who's, what, a few millenia older than she was? While gaining all these virtues, she always keeps on striving for what is best - keeping the future in tact and not altering fate.

But then, all of a sudden, all these interesting characters start popping up from the middle of nowhere! First, there's ME, a very interesting self-insertion which included FY plastic surgery in order to change me into a human turned Nyan-Nyan with the ability to change into animals. Then, there's Hitori. Big surprise. A blond bastard, Nakago's slightly-more-feminine and chibi evil twin, a diplomat in drag, trying to hinder Suzaku and Juri's relationship. And now, for reasons only my evil consciousness knows, I've chosen to add in a pink-oriented monk into the cast. Then, of course I'd have to introduce the Mikotos, including specifically the Iteza no Mikoto; if your memory is dead accurate and spans at least 5 of these chapters, you'll know what I'm talking about. Though I highly doubt that, from any of you.

_Suzaku: You're still forgetting the Sakura Gri - _

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!!!! You've gotten back from L.A. already?!? Well, if you're not scared of that, than the next stop for you is the Doraemon happy train!!! And I'm not KIDDING!!!!

_Suzaku: (gulps) (holds up sign that says: "We don't own Doraemon, either")_

Good. In any case, I digress. All this plot altering has made my head spin; it has strayed far too much from my first plans. I'm beginning think there isn't a plot anymore. Hence, the change of summary. So, I've decided to categorize things a little. From Part 1 to Part 5 shall be "Beginning...Under Protest". After that, Part 6 to Part 14 of the story shall be entitled "Conforming to Entitled Duties". Starting from Part 15 of Juri and ending at Part 22 will be simply dubbed "Dramatic Transition", and everything from that point on, so far, will be called "Forbidden Love in the Eyes of Stars". 

As you can tell, that'll be a lot of work, but by the time you've read this, I would already be done. I'm not completely sure whether it would actually help with the plotting, but they sure are nice titles, ne? ^ _ ^ Daaa...I'm so vain...but in any case, it's an organizing system, if anything. Might even help...but of course, the four groupings are not all. More will follow, as there will be more plot changes...MUCH more than anyone can imagine. It reminds me of something my English teacher once said about my class, when we got confused by the poetry lesson she was teaching us: "It feels like I'm a mother duck with her babies following behind; I'm losing ducklings as I speak". So true...I'm losing readers as I speak. Ah, well...

-CLAMPraven 

* * *

~CLAMPraven~

I think it was something Juri once said...'first impressions are just first impressions', or something like that...

Damn, I hope Taikou was that accepting...

Admittedly, lighting the Koudoutai monk on fire was my idea...BUT TASUKI DID IT!!! I mean, could anyone blame me? Could anyone blame US?!? 

...

Aw, screw it. Like I said, COULD ANYONE BLAME **ME**?!?!? 

So...in any case, the monk was lit like a firecracker...all to Tasuki's satanic delight, of course...and I knew it wasn't going to kill the guy. Typically, monks always had a few tricks up their sleeve, not only the ones trained by Taiitsu-baka. They usually knew water spells, and _Mizu no Mahou Ryuu_, the magic water dragon,was a common one, though monks typically don't practice it. 

When I was taken in by Taiitsu-kun and turned into a Nyan-Nyan, I'd heard rumors that the old hag was teaching Suzaku no Shichiseishi Chichiri spells like that one, and others, too. Later, I saw that spell with my own eyes...the blue energy rushing forth, the stream pouring out in the shape of a dragon, sorta like a ripoff of Ryuuzaki Umi's _Mizu no Ryuu _attack in Magic Knight Rayearth...GAAH!!! Damn those CLAMP references...

So anyways, I knew how the spell worked. So when I saw sakura pink magical shoujo energy flowing to make the attack instead of the typical blue, I knew something was very, VERY wrong...

But hell, at least it did the trick. 

Then the poor guy ranted on about how he was completely pink-oriented (one of the only times I caught his name) and how it wasn't nice to light monks on fire. Like we didn't know that...though I think he made Tasuki feel **guilty**. Anyone who can make Tasuki guilty was instantly God. I was scared. 

And anyone who could make me go on the verge of tears was instantly Satan. 

I had been on the verge of tears, and I was very scared. Heh. But since monks were so modest, I was given the benefit of the doubt...for the moment...and besides, after we were more properly introduced, Sakurayume (ouch...) Taikou seemed like a nice enough guy. He even offered to show us around the shrine and everything. 

The Koudoutai shrine was certainly larger than it looked, with endless dark hallways like a foreboding maze. Stone statues of mythical creatures served as decoration, some of which I could recognize. Among the more traditional Chinese creatures, there were centaurs, flying horses, and even what seemed to be a Medusa on the other end of the wall. While we passed the statues, Taikou went on about what it meant to be a Koudoutai monk and the symbolic gods along with. But I wasn't really paying that much attention to that... 

As Taikou led us through the stretches of hallway, turning constant lefts and rights (to Tasuki's irritation) and serving as an overall tour guide, I began to notice more about him. For one thing, since his outer monk robes (which could've very well been leftover rice bags and harem scrap) were burned, he only wore his inner white garment. Which...ehheheheh...happened to be a lot _thinner_ than he thought. And, I must say, given the circumstances with his outerwear, he was very easy on the eyes...

He had a lithe build, common of bishounen, and he was relatively tall...eh, isn't everyone tall when you're a Nyan-Nyan? But he was a nice height, nonetheless, a little under Tasuki, I think. Oh, of course he had pink eyes..._sure_...don't sue me...but they were a nice pink! His eyes were like a warm sakura pink, with a tint of violet. They were so mysterious, it scared me. Kinda like Seishirou from X...NO!! Stupid CLAMP references!!! In any case, a nice tinge of pink. And his hair (ah...yet another monk who chooses to keep his hair. Smart...) was light, really light, almost bleached-like, with only a light tint of pink colour; he tied it in a small ponytail at the back of his head, as I noticed easily because he wasn't wearing his hood, which was singed from the previous lekka shinen. His hair was completely tied, except for a few bangs which scattered across his eyes...

Ah..._dreamy..._me and my insane obsession with pink colors...sakura, sakura, sakura...ah, yes, he's so -

Stop. It. NOW.

Why should I? He's cute! Nyeh, forget about the whole chastity thing! If monks can keep their hair nowadays, why the hell follow the rest of the rules?! Oh, and by the way, in case you haven't noticed, he calls me CLAMP-chan. **CLAMP-chan!!** Damn it, he's not only cute, but he's so damn nice...

...CLAMPraven. Listen to yourself...literally. You are obsessed. With a monk. With ** pink hair**. The only way he'd like you is if he was religiously corrupt and had a Lolita Complex of the worst kind. Now snap out of it!!!

But...he's so...PINK!!!! GAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!! Damn you, conscience, making me suffer...

CLAMPraven...hey, wait a second.

What?

...Do you see what I see?

I should. We're only the same goddamned person!!! ...Why?

Ah, there it is again! Tasuki...he's staring at you, you know...

..................HEL - LO?!? I'm talking to myself here in the middle of the f*cking hall!!! Naturally, you'd think I'd get at least one onlooker? And yes, I know both of them have stopped. Taikou's staring at me, too, so - AAAGH!! Oh, _sakura pink..._he's STARING at me. At **me**, damn it!!! _ Ah..._

"CLAMPraven?!"

-

~Tasuki~

The Nyan-Nyan blinked as my fingers snapped in front of her, waking her from her almost dreamy trance. "Oh!"

I wrinkled my nose. Something was wrong with this girl. 

//Yeah? Well, who the hell was it who thought she'd make a good Mt. Leikaku bandit?!? Who the hell was it that liked her enough to miss out on Suzaku and Juri making out?!?//

//Yeah...I f*cking did!!! So what?!? She WOULD make a hell of a kick-ass Leikaku bandit!!!//

//Eheh...you sure that's _all_? You've always had a thing for midgets...//

Just as I was about to lay the smackdown on my conscience, I realized that the Nyan-Nyan's little trance had attracted Taikou's attention as well; in a few seconds, the pink-oriented young monk had scurried over to CLAMPraven as well. 

"What's the matter, CLAMP-chan? Something wrong?" he asked, with a concerned look on his face.

CLAMPraven looked up directly into the monk's violet-pink eyes. 

And that's when I realized it.

"HOLY SHIT!!" I screeched, stumbling back and scaring the shit out of both of them. "YOU'RE F*CKING **BLUSHING**!!!!!!!!"

-

~CLAMPraven~

My eyes were about the size of bowling balls. 

"W-W-WHAT?!?!? WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!?!?" I stuttered, all the while my face turning into a ripe tomato. A tomato, damn it. 

And to make matters worse, guess who else notices this?

"Hey, you're right...!" Taikou realized as he stared at me, with a smile that could only be described as goofy. "You are blushing, CLAMP-chan! But...why?"

I stared at him, dumbfounded. "..."

Geez, for such a hot monk, he sure is an idiot, isn't he?

No...I'm inclined to disagree on that point. You know, this reminds me of Revolutionary Girl Utena, in a way...that one character I liked, the duelist Arisugawa Juri, had a way of classifying people - and I quote - as 'cruelly innocent'. I think this is one of those cases. It's not his fault he doesn't realize I like him, even though I'm about as red as a nosebleed here...

...........Nah...I think he's just stupid.

You are SO not f*cking helping...

Well, at least he doesn't realize it!! Heh, but in Tasuki's case, you're not as lucky...

Of course, by this time, Tasuki was able to pull his ass back together. I cursed indiscernibly and blushed even harder as he broke into a laughing fit on the spot, while Taikou gave him a stare that a bishop would give to a mentally unstable heretic. "CLAMPraven!!! You f*cking lovesick idiot!!!" 

Why do I get the impulse that Tasuki is about to die very, very soon, and very, very slowly?! Ah! Must be because I'm about to EXPLODE... "**TASUKI...**"

"You're a Nyan-Nyan, and you're already f*cking blushing at a pink-EVERYTHINGed monk!!! You're f*cking hopeless!!! GET YOUR LOVESICK ASS BACK TOGETHER!!!"

...................(snap)..................

"..........................**AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRGGRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!!!!!**"

-

~Taikou~

I blinked. Twice. Everything was happening so fast...

One moment, we were walking down the hall...perfectly fine, of course...I was in the middle of the tour of the Koudoutai shrine, educating CLAMP-chan and her friend Tasuki (apparently, he was a legendary Shichiseishi, as bizarre as the idea of a bandit warrior of justice was...) about the history of the shrine, and the duties of the average Koudoutai monk. I told them lots about the different statues on showcase that time of year, as I was supposed to. I was surprised to see that they hadn't sneaked away or collapsed asleep from boredom. Sometimes it happens...and I was proud of myself for keeping at least 2 possible Koudoutai followers, especially after losing about 200 and counting... 

Then, all of a sudden, CLAMP-chan stopped in the middle of the hall, standing perfectly still and staring straight ahead; I could tell that she wasn't exactly _there_...perhaps she was arguing with herself? Not only does a person with two eyes of different color have the ability to morph, but they tend to have a more or less split personality along with...of course, when I noticed this, I trotted over to check on her. 

But then Tasuki started screaming curses (very unlucky for the shrine...curses tend to attract bad omens...I had to remind myself to exorcist the halls afterwards) and accusing CLAMP-chan of blushing. And she was...when I asked her why, though, she just stared at me, then turned her attention back to Tasuki, who had succeeded in getting her enraged, with about five thousand popping veins on her little forehead. Soon, she roared and used her powers, morphing into another creature. Everything else after that...was just plain sad...

To be sure, I'm not exactly sure how I ended up with a bandit and a dragon wrestling on the floors of the now flaming halls of the Koudoutai shrine. 

But one thing was for sure...this was not going to look good on my records.

So...

"_Mizu no Mahou Ryuu!!! Taikou!!!_"

Within seconds, the soapy pink bubble dragon had swept through nearly the whole shrine, flooding just about everything in its path and knocking over more than a few of the statues. The redhaired bandit and the dragon that was CLAMP-chan were completely waterlogged and frozen in position on the floor, with Tasuki's fist still raised and the dragon's tail that still choked the Shichiseishi. Both stared up at me innocently. 

"What?" They croaked in unison.

But of course, I was just a little more than annoyed. 

"Now look what you've made me do!!" I screeched, glaring down at the two of them. "Look, for the first and last time, YOU DON'T FIGHT IN THE SHRINE!!! I could care less why CLAMPraven-chan was blushing, and I could care less that you sweared...maybe...but don't ever FIGHT!!! EVER!!!! It's the worst thing to do in the world as we know it, breaking one of the rules that the boss of the Koudoutai shrine made!!! Do you know who the boss of this place is?!? Do you have any clue at all?!? Maybe you don't give a darn, but I do!! The priest of this place is not me, and it is not the Mikotos. Here, the priest, Ryuuza Seiun-sama is GOD. And the other monk that works in this place, Motohaku Enri, is also a god, on a lesser extent, but a god nonetheless!!! So DON'T YOU DARE TRY AND MAKE ME - er, us, LOOK BAD!!! Now I have to clean up all this mess, as if it wasn't my job already, on account of your IDIOCY...er, no offense...CLAMP-chan, don't look at me like that, please, I'm trying to rant here...now, where was I? Oh yes...DON'T FIGHT!!!! Now, we have to get you two cleaned up, before anyone notices!!! So - "

"Taikou, damn it!!"

"Hm?" I stopped, to stare at a disgruntled-looking Tasuki. "Yes?"

The bandit had managed to sit up and untangle himself from the dragon version of CLAMP-chan with a blush, who had already begun to transform back. Soggy and unkempt, with his wet hair dangling and his fangs bared, Suzaku no Shichiseishi Tasuki didn't exactly look like the perfect picture of serene bliss. 

"Mou..." The redhead grumbled, "What the f*ck is your problem?!? Holy shit, this is the f*cking second rant in 10 minutes!!!"

Sweatdropping and pulling at my ponytail in embarrassment, I couldn't help but realize his point. "Sorry...I tend to do that a lot..."

Tasuki nearly facevaulted at this. "_Yeah_...we kinda noticed."

"Yeah..."

"Uh huh...oh, and another thing. Who the f*ck is that guy behind you?"

I froze. So did time. 

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooo........

"W-w-what guy behind me?!?"

By now, CLAMP-chan had already transformed back, though as wet as ever. She, also, pointed to a spot behind me. "That guy. Looks like a monk, about a foot taller than you, has long white hair and freakish indigo eyes, looks like he hasn't seen the light of day since the dawning of mankind...any recognition?"

Wha - oh, no...not him. Suzaku...can't be him, won't be him, maybe CLAMP-chan has the pink water in her eyes...

Well, I've got to find out _somehow..._

Gulping, I slowly turned around...

And promptly screamed like a ninny. 

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!!!! Motohaku - !!!!" 

Motohaku Enri stared monotonously down at me, snowy hair draping down his shoulders, his icily beautiful complexion preserved like china, and dark eyes venomous, traveling up and down the hall to take note of all the damage my pink water dragon attack had done. Glancing at the two newcomers to the shrine, he raised an eyebrow. 

Which was...eheheh...all I really needed to know. 

"Motohaku-san, it's not what you think!" I babbled frantically. "The newcomers just came today and the redhead one who's a seishi lit my clothes on fire and then I blasted my own clothes and ranted at them and they apologized and they said they want to come pray to the Mikotos for help for their friends and I led them in and they started fighting because the Nyan-Nyan blushed and then the Nyan-Nyan transformed into a dragon..." 

My stuttering soon became an indiscernible mess mostly describing how it was not my fault when it clearly was. The evidence was there, of course, and Enri couldn't have missed it, but I couldn't help but go on. It was instinctive, I swear!! Oh shoot...I'm not supposed to swear, either...

But after having been able to put up with me before, Enri simply ignored me and approached the two visitors.

"...so it's not really necessary to tell Ryuuza-sama - eh?" I blinked. "Motohaku-san?"

The long-haired monk was staring down directly at CLAMP-chan and her alone, his eyes glowing an eerie crystalline light, the light of the Koudoutai itself. The Nyan-Nyan stared up at him, mesmerized by his air of mystery, not to mention his height; her jaw was slack, and her eyes were as wide as I've ever seen them. 

I approached the two tentatively. "Ano...Motohaku-san, she's a Nyan-Nyan. You've heard about them as well as I have, even though this one has two different eye colors and black hair with pink nails..."

"Baka."

I stiffened. "What?" 

Enri turned away from CLAMP-chan to face me, his eyes no longer glowing. "She's got all these different physical attributes that you speak of because she isn't a Nyan-Nyan at all. Didn't you realize it?"

"I - what? What do you mean?!" 

Turning pale, I stared down at CLAMP-chan in disbelief, then back at Enri. What was he talking about? "Look, I know you can read minds and all...you've studied the spiritual slice of the Koudoutai since you were born...in a past life!! But...you don't mean that! She may not be regularly color-coordinated, but what else could she be?!"

But Enri only shook his head again. "This CLAMPraven...she's not a Nyan-Nyan."

Nearby, I could hear the little girl gasp. "How'd you know my name, damn you?!?" She demanded, eyes fixated on my fellow monk in utter shock. 

She was ignored. 

"My psyche...and hers...tells no lies," Enri continued nonchalantly. "I'm confident in my abilities as a monk and a mage; I've read her mind like a book. Not only do I know what she's here for, but I know...roughly everything else. She may think whatever she wants, but she was not born a Nyan-Nyan, and this is not her way...did you realize that her eyes told a stranger story, sang a stranger song, than that you've ever heard? She is not even of this world, Sakurayume-san. You realize that, don't you?"

Sighing at my shock, he turned back to Tasuki and CLAMP-chan.

"And look at you two! You're both soaked..." he remarked, grasping the little Nyan-Nyan's sleeve with his long pale fingers and drying it out for her. His tone had become one of almost parental concern, rather than of harsh deceit as before. 

"You two can't stay in these clothes," he stated firmly. "Go down the hall to your right...I believe you can change there. Leave your wet clothes on the rack; there's always extra robes around here, since no one ever comes. A shame, really. Meanwhile, I think Sakurayume-san and I ought to have a talk, to see what we should do with you. If you want to evoke the Mikotos, to seek help for the lovers that are your friends - Suzaku and Juri - you may need our help." With that, he waited for a response from the Shichiseishi and the girl.

Finally, CLAMP-chan spoke. 

"Fine. You want to pretend what you just said was alright? Fine. Just fine." The little thing's voice was almost like a rusted dagger. "Now Tasuki knows I'm not a Nyan-Nyan. And soon, everyone will know."

Drawing a shaky breath, eyes burning a mix of hidden tears and anger, CLAMPraven broke into a mad dash down the hall.

"CLAMPraven!!!" Tasuki cried, immediately running after her.

I watched them go.

"What do you mean, she's not of this world? Why do you say she's not a Nyan-Nyan?" I asked Eiri. It was barely a whisper.

I couldn't believe it. Why...how...?

"I'll tell you why and how in a moment," Eiri quietly answered my thoughts. "It shows...strangers aren't what they appear to be at all. No...not at all." 

A quiet shudder escaped the older monk. "I don't regret...telling her the truth, out loud. As much as it might hurt. Strangers are not to be trusted...quite. Ne?

"It was something she tried to bury away in her head. To escape. That way, she could never let it seep out to the ones she loved. She couldn't let her companions know...she is not a Nyan-Nyan, and she wasn't supposed to be. It wasn't her destiny. She comes from another world, Sakurayume-san."

He paused, letting this new bit sink in. 

From another world...

Then, he walked further down the hall, motioning for me to follow. "Come on..."

-

~CLAMPraven~

Bastard...

They're bastards. I'm a bastard...

I ran blindly down the hall, not even caring to look for the room that Motohaku asshole told me to go to. 

And the sad thing? It wasn't even him I was trying to run from. Not Taikou, either, who didn't bother to do a thing when he said that I was not of this world, out loud. Hell, I was obsessed with the guy. I wouldn't mind it if it were him chasing me...that would make for something romantic. I'm sure it was just shock that stopped him from doing just that.

Why did he have to say it?! Damn it...nothing is sacred anymore...damn it...

One could say I'm running from myself...but no. That's not it, either. Of course, as common as running away from oneself is, it isn't that. No...it's myself I'm _buried_ in. Not something I'm willing to deny.

The truth is, I'm running away from Tasuki. And it's not just him, either. It's more like..._everyone... _

Alone...alone, damn it...it's the only place to be, really...

If the Shichiseishi knew that I was human, just a normal girl named Hinamori Yohko, a normal girl that once lived in a normal city in the...perhaps not so normal U.S., but what the hell...they'd send me back. They'd probably waste more time just sending me back.

And I can't stand to go back. I'm a nuisance back home...no real friends, no real love. Just a girl far too obsessed with CLAMP that no one could stand. A girl who only has other girls standing next to her on a day-to-day basis to look good next to the richest teen bitch in the City. A girl who only attracts guys because of her T&A. But...I'm a nuisance here, too!...no identity at all. Friends I have, identity I do not. I can't even help the ones I love. I get help by trying to look cute and crying on peoples sleeves...begging. Begging. What help is that?

I'm just...not useful, am I...? I'm only good for hurting other people. The first thing I did upon entering this world is hurt Suzaku-seikun...

Once upon a time, there was a god who loved a certain little girl with two different-colored eyes. But the girl was to obsessed with herself to care...

Why the hell am I ranting in my f*cked up brain?!? No...once I stop, and Tasuki catches up to me, they'll all know. They'll send me back home to a hellpit I despise. I'll lose all my friends, even Juri. I'll lose everything. I'll lose the sense of identity I've just begun to build. I'll lose love, I'll lose my powers...and the worst thing is, I'll still be greedy for those powers. If I return to that world, that way...

ARGH!!! Those aren't reasons!! Maybe I'm just overreacting...no, I...I can't even think straight anymore... 

"CLAMPraven!!!"

I have to stop running. I can't run anymore...

Think. Why are you really doing this?!?

"CLAMPraven-baka!!! MATTE YO!!!"

Why am I doing this?!? Why am I running away?!? Is it just fear...? Or...

More than that. Fear of pity, CLAMPraven. Fear of finding the one thing you want.

What...?

"CLAMPraven!!! Damn you, running off like that!!!"

All these years, you've been punishing yourself. Listen to what you're thinking!! You are still blaming yourself for hurting Suzaku!! You hurt because you think they're still angry. They're NOT.

I could feel arms around me. Strong arms...catching me...my wet clothes meeting his soaked hands and hair...

All these years, you thought you didn't deserve anything. That's why you're afraid of their pity. You think they're wrong in giving you their friendship. You know they'd pity you if they knew everything you've gone through. You fear _acceptance_, CLAMPraven. When Tasuki tells everyone, they're only going to try and help you! You think they'd hurt you, or something?! You're deceiving yourself!! You think you don't deserve their acceptance?! You think you're some sort of criminal who doesn't deserve anything?!? You're not!! And it's driving you crazy, how trite this is!!!

Perhaps...

Do you need convincing?!? Look up! There are two eyes right above you who will tell you right here and now that you deserve more than you're giving yourself credit for!!!

No...I don't -

Just look up. Look into his eyes. You'll find them. Not a lover's eyes, perhaps, but a friend's eyes. And that's all you'll need.

Willing myself to stop my own trauma, I looked up.

And I found them.

* * *

Oh, the confusion and utter insanity that is me!!!! BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! Man, morals and ethics just seem to pop out of nowhere when I write my fics, don't they? CLAMPraven learns multiple lessons in learning to be a better person at once! This should be a self-help manual, not a FY fic... 

And in case anyone didn't quite get the ending of the story, ahem, here goes. CLAMPraven (I shall refer to myself in the third person when talking about the fic, period!) is running down the hall instinctively, though she doesn't know why she is doing this. Then her conscience, which is technically herself but what the hell, pops up and tells her that all she's doing is pushing away her friends because she's punishing herself, something more commonly trademark of angsty yaoi bishounen more than anything, but again, what the hell! Thumbs up if you got that without reading the last paragraph. (grins) Good for you!! Hehe...

Yep, and not to mention all the pairings! First CLAMPraven seems to like Tasuki, then Tasuki seems to like CLAMPraven, then CLAMPraven really likes Taikou and CLAMPraven thinks Tasuki is a very good friend and that is all, then who knows what the hell Tasuki thinks about _that_...are CLAMPraven and Tasuki a pairing? (smirks) That remains a mystery...

_Suzaku: Next thing you know, she'll be talking about Taikou/Enri..._

SHUT UP!!!

_Suzaku: **YOU STILL HAVEN'T GOTTEN TO HITORI'S BAD PAST!!! AND YOU STILL HAVEN'T GOTTEN AROUND TO TELLING THE PEOPLE ABOUT THE F*CKING SAKURA GRI-**_

**SHUT UP!!!!!!! **

(huge explosion as grenades light up the whole stage)

Ahem. Now, where was I? Let's see...disclaimers, I don't own Doraemon and I don't own Utena...er, beating up Suzaku, yep, that's done...and, oh! "Tell people to review in a way you haven't thought of yet, seeing as you are only getting about 4 reviews at a time." Wha - who the hell writes this stuff?!? 

Oh well. I guess I'd better try it, then...Suzaku?

_Suzaku: Ahem...right. (clears throat) You will fall under the spell of the blue review button!! (seductively) You know you want to..._

-CLAMPraven 


	25. Forbidden Love in the Eyes of Stars' Tr...

**"Juri"**

**-from girl to oracle-**

**By CLAMPraven**

* * *

~ Forbidden Love in the Eyes of Stars ~

Part 24 of the Legend of Juri - Traumatic

* * *

Well, this is finally it, people.

It's been a while in which I've been keeping secrets from all of you, ne? But now that there's really nothing else going on, I can get on with what I wanted to write about. This is the chapter in which most of the secrets about the Mikotos, including Hitori's goddamned annoying yaoi angsty past which has pestered me for days on end, wanting to put itself on paper, shall finally come out - all in this new release.

So here it is, folks. After so many chapters of useless wandering around information, I've finally gotten to a point in which... (darkly) _there are no secrets anymore..._

_Suzaku: (toothy grin) Except for the Sakura Griffin. _

...

(insert crickets chirping)

_Suzaku: (happy as hell) 2 whole damn chapters, 4 whole f*cking-ass long author's notes, and an indefinite amount of beatings, as well as being blasted to the set of Petshop of Horrors across the goddamned Pacific (which, by the way, we do not own ^ ^;;) and I FINALLY MANAGED TO SAY THE DAMN WORDS!!!!!! THAT'S RIGHT!!! **THE GREATEST CREATION IN THE HISTORY OF THIS F*CKING FIC IS UNCOVERED!!!!! CLAMPRAVEN'S VERY OWN SAKURA GRIFFIN!!!!**_ _And don't any of you cheap-asses try and steal it..._

**....................SUUUUUUUZAAAAAAKUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

_Suzaku: ...heheh...but then again, you were going to reveal it this chapter anyhow, weren't you...?..._

**YOU RUINED MY SUSPENSE, YOU F*CKING RED-ASSED BASTARD!!!!!!!!!!** (whips out the dreaded mallet from Timbuktu) 

(Very bloody fighting ensues. But for the goodness of the rating, the ever-present sentimental tiger pacifist arrives on the scene, carrying a censor sign the size of the Nadesico...)

_Byakko: (Clears throat) I guess you know what's coming. But you can't blame us! We're on such a tight budget we can't afford to own the Nadesico, either...eheheheh...(puts down sign) (twiddles thumbs as he waits for CLAMP-san to start...) _

-CLAMPraven 

* * *

~CLAMPraven~

Just look up. Look into his eyes. You'll find them. Not a lover's eyes, perhaps, but a friend's eyes. And that's all you'll need.

Willing myself to stop my own trauma, I looked up.

And I found them.

"Damn it, CLAMPraven..." Tasuki growled, loosely holding onto me, "...why the hell are you so damn agitated all the time...?" 

But although the redheaded bandit, now soaked with Taikou's pink _Mizu no Mahou Ryuu_ and raggedly breathing from chasing me without his seishi powers, wore a scowl the size of a middle-eastern country, all I saw were his eyes...

And they were as clear as crystal, shining the light of someone who actually cared, for once...!

This was a friend I wasn't willing to lose...

Tasuki...thank you for caring...you've restored my faith in the goodness of people, and of myself...

Although I was as weakened from the run (not to mention the fight with myself) as he was, my small doll-sized hands gave his larger ones a tight squeeze, as I smiled up at him, comfortingly reassuring him that I wasn't about to kill myself, or anything.

"Thank you, Tasuki-chan...my friend..." I managed to say, however deliriously, as I felt my energy slipping away (damn this weak body...damn damn damn...just...DAMN! Ugh...). 

His features softened a little at this. In fact, the last thing I saw was a ghost of a fanged grin on his face...

Then, of course, consciousness turned out the lights.

-

~Tasuki~

I smiled wryly as the little girl in my arms passed out. "Guess she really is weak in this form, huh..."

//So...what the hell was it you said earlier? Something about her being a "hell of a kick-ass Leikaku bandit", or some other shit along those lines?//

//She would!!!!//

//...//

//...She would...//

//There's only one thing I've got to say to that. Muahahahaha. Haha, ha. ADMIT IT, DAMN IT!!! You sound so f*cking disappointed....the chick really busted your balloon when she just called you her friend, ne? Guess she really does love the pink-oriented monk; this is the proof.//

//Shut the hell up, conscience. You never bothered me this much back when I was in Mt. Leikaku.//

//Well, you never knew the girl when you were back there, did you?//

I stared at the limp Nyan-Nyan in my arms. A few strands of dark black hair scattered over her closed eyes, her skin shining almost a holy light, like the radiance of the moon. She seemed so fragile, so delicate...like a china doll. To some extent, she could've been considered cute, even...so was my conscience right?

All I really knew was that I was flattered by how much she trusted me, as a friend...yet the compliment almost left me somewhat empty, as if out of hope, though the feeling was just instinctive...maybe...

//Anyhow...better haul her back to the pink monk, for now. She can't stay in these wet robes, however long she'll be knocked out...//

-

~Taikou~

I sat in the library of Koudoutai shrine articles, feeling confused above all. After making a stop in my chamber, I was clad in an extra outer monk robe that I had saved, in the case of an emergency. Nearby, Motohaku Enri was rummaging around the shelves, looking for some important volumes of interest. 

The silent monk had taken me here to discuss CLAMP-chan's situation, about who she was and to clear up to me just why he said she wasn't a Nyan-Nyan. Frankly, I don't understand it at all. But it would seem that Enri had forgotten about me completely in his searching for books. Hm...

The library was huge, and was regarded as one of the most sacred aspects of the shrine. This was where the most valuable documents, artifacts and magical tablets were kept, throughout the years. Since this was the imperial Koudoutai shrine, and the largest one in Konan, if not all the four countries, all of the ancient treasures of the Mikotos and other related entities were channeled here, through careful shipping and handling.

The room was grand, and the whole ceiling was plaited gold in a large loop, decorated with the signs of the Mikotos in great detail. However, in the centre of the loop were two of the most fascinating and mysterious Koudoutai entities, not Mikotos but incredibly powerful in their own right. 

_It's too bad so many people don't know about these wonders, _I mused. _A shame, really..._

The one bordering the top left was the powerful Sakura Griffin, a creature that is said to be otherworldly. It had the body of a lionness and the wings and claws of an eagle; it is said to be completely made of sakura branches and petals, a ghostly apparition that leaves magical trails of pink dust that can be made into charm and good-luck potions. It dwells in the fields where the cherry blossoms grow wildest and most beautiful, and is said to be a symbol of good will and spiritual bliss.

The entity bordering the bottom right of the loop was, however, far more dangerous. It was a demon in the form of a young girl, clad completely in black, veils and ribbons of darkness surrounding her entire body. Bloodied bandages bound her forehead, trailing off into darkness; it was said that that was a wound, from a battle. On her wrist was an amulet, with the kanji 'gold' inscribed on it, glowing an eerie light. Her frail gloved hand held a four-sided lantern, with several kanji on it, 'sei' and 'yanagi' amongst others. There were four candles in the lantern, beautiful yet deadly, glowing one self-same flame. It was the dark oracle herself, the one who knows the future of the Universe of the four gods, and cries eternally inside because of it, the young dark oracle herself, a girl only known as Juri.

_Her eyes were red, red as a bloodied rose as they called it,_ I thought to myself. _They foretold that she was destined to be evil the day those eyes opened upon this world...huh. And they say one's destiny isn't engraved in stone..._

"It isn't. But it's like you, to wonder about such things..."

Startled, I looked up, to see that Enri was now sitting across from me. Though the white-haired monk had clearly spoken to me, his violet eyes were fixated upon the pages of one of the humongous books he had taken from the shelves. 

I narrowed my eyes, upon seeing the titles of the scrolls and documents he took out. " 'Legends of the Battle of Shin'ai...', 'The Battle of Shin'ai', 'Philosophy of the reincarnations of the Battle of Shin'ai'..." I blinked at the redundancy of it all. "Erm, excuse me...am I seeing a pattern here?"

No answer.

I frowned, clearing my throat. "AHEM!!"

Enri blinked. Affronted, he glancing up at me. "Don't you know it's rude to interrupt someone when they're trying to read?" He growled, slamming the volume shut. 

But of course, clouds of dust started to rise from the impact, and in a few seconds, the white-haired monk had surrendered to a coughing fit.

I sighed, shaking my head with a smirk. "Ne...you can't always be cool, Motohaku-san." Unaware of myself, I started to rant again,. "You always stand like you're the wisest jack in the world because you're about 6'11'' with a gorgeous head of hair and eyes that scare the living daylights out of even Ryuuza Seiun-sama, who is not here but who I shall speak for anyway. Besides, if the guy was here, I would've already been knocked dead for ranting at the newcomers. But the truth is, you're always clumsy with documents and you spoil Emperor Hotohori's harem with your gifts - "

"Uru - HACK! - urusei, damn it."

Folding my arms, I glared at him. "Ne, don't curse in the temple."

"The Mikotos don't have anything against cursing."

"Well, we don't know, now do we?"

"..."

"..."

"...Do you really want to know why I'm reading these books?"

It was hard to resist the urge to slap him. "YES..."

"Very well, then." Reinstating his coolness, Enri put the huge book aside. "When Priest Seiun-sama taught us about the history of the four gods and the Koudoutai, do you remember his lecture about the Battle of Shin'ai, the legendary fight between the Sakura Griffin and the dark Oracle Juri?"

My face contorted into a wry scowl. "The one that took an hour, or the one that he kept us through the night with? Geez, Motohaku-san, when a guy spends about a month painting _that - _" I gestured to the painting of the Griffin and the Oracle on the ceiling, " - without any persuasion or a knife to the throat, you'd think I'd remember it..."

Enri sweatdropped despite himself. "Right...in any case, as a review...

"A long time ago, when the Universe of the four gods was still young, and the gods had just been created by Taiitsu-kun, a girl from the other world entered through the portal. It was a separate portal from the one of the Mikos...instead, this one was a mysterious one that brings people - especially children - over from the other world to complete purposes that only it knows. Because the book is rumored to have unlimited pages, and marks down the future of everyone and everything in stone, it was nicknamed the Mirai Tankoubon. At this point in time, it brought over a young woman who worked in a shrine, so that when the girl came to this world, her grandfather's lantern, the only thing she held, was her only guide. Her name was Natana Juri.

"As soon as she was dropped in the middle of the dark forest, she became cautious. Juri was very spiritually instinctive...she could feel evil presences, predict the future, and draw forth spirits, amongst other things. And, upon her entering this world, she posed as an immediate threat because of her immense power, unnatural for even one of this world. And her eyes...a blood red, bloodier than the dark roses in midnight's glare; traditionally, blood red eyes meant only one thing: an omen of death. She attracted the attention of the gods and the Mikotos immediately. And although the Mikotos often had their disagreements, none could say that the girl was not potentially dangerous. They volunteered to take care of this for the gods.

"Therefore, the Tenbinza no Mikoto, Akiyama Hitori, automatically took the job of seeing to her; the lord of the scale of justice sent forth one of his strongest minions, a girl named Hayushi Yohko. While Juri was still trapped in the forest at night, Yohko paid her a little visit, transforming into her ghostly alias...the Sakura Griffin..."

"While Natana Juri was still confused, her lantern being her only guide, the Sakura Griffin hid in the shadows and reached out to her with her powers of the cherry blossom, reading the girl's mind. The Sakura Griffin drew pieces of information that proved very valuable; through this, the Tenbinza no Mikoto learned that Juri was absolutely willful of herself, the type of person who only followed her own intuitions. This made him very edgy. What made him even more suspicious was the fact that Juri sensed the Sakura Griffin, almost automatically, when she felt the foreign energy...

"When the pink creature came out of the shadows, Juri was frightened more than anything at the amount of power present. What was worse was when Yohko, the Sakura Griffin, tried to explain to the girl where she was and about the gods..."

"In the stories, they had said that the Sakura Griffin showed her mental images of all the Mikotos, and the four gods, explaining how important each of them were. But when she showed Juri a mental image of Suzaku...it was love at first sight. The girl immediately felt drawn to the god, almost by an ethereal force...

"But it couldn't happen. Gods were not supposed to fall in love, nor be loved...

"The Mikotos were frantic and unsure...easily an understatement for the Tenbinza no Mikoto. You'd know this, wouldn't you, Sakurayume Taikou? You study him...he is the Mikoto that you live by. You should know better than anyone what his policies are against such blasphemy as love between the mortal and the immortal. To him, it was an outrage. Angrily, he commanded Yohko, in her Sakura Griffin form, to kill the girl. 

"So Yohko obeyed. The Sakura Griffin lunged at the girl. But Juri didn't understand why the creature was fighting her; to her, no love was evil. Enraged on her own behalf, Juri flared with the unnatural pale light of the dead...the candles in her lantern blazed with erupting rage, and with a scream that pierced the night, she had been wrapped in black satin, her eyes glowing treachery to the Mikotos, her lantern a magnet of ghostly energy...

"And so they fought. They fought through the night, ki ripping through the forest. Juri's lantern of death constantly drew spirits from out of thin air, while sakura petals flared from the griffin's breath. Blood-curdling screams cut through the forest until there was no forest anymore. A destructive explosion of pink and black magic rose with the dawning sunrise, and in mere seconds, nothing was left except crimson and ash...the two of them were both ripped apart by the energy."

"But the outcome of the battle was never determined; they were both killed," I pointed out.

"That's right," Enri nodded slowly. "The Battle of Shin'ai, or the Battle of True Love to some, was one of the most controversial articles ever written in the Koudoutai tankoubons. And we all know what happened after that fight. The Battle of Shin'ai led to much thought; despite the fact that Juri and Yohko were both dead, their souls still flared with vengeance, burning with a passion to complete what was never resolved. They knew they were never to be reborn, though; that would surely lead to more destruction. However, the Iteza no Mikoto, Akigo Kano, in particular, was moved by the powers of these souls. It made him think, perhaps come to a realization, that would eventually lead to even more controversy...

I rubbed my chin. "I remember this. Iteza figured that love between immortal and mortal is not evil; rather, it was smart. It would channel energy between god and man, and insert a new plane of power that would allow gods to control their people more clearly; and at the same time, the people would learn more about worship and religion. Yet he knew that the rest of the Koudoutai would never allow Juri nor Yohko to be reborn. So he allowed them to be reborn using his own powers - without permission. But...wasn't he put to death because of that?"

At this point in time, Enri had started pacing, something he does a little too often... "Not put to death, Sakurayume. Akigo Kano was labeled as a youma, then banished from the realm of the heavenly...by Akiyama Hitori himself, no less! And what is more, I've heard rumors about this...some people say that Hitori and Kano had shared a relationship, a deep one..."

Pausing in the middle of his speech, Enri stopped, two brilliant violet eyes turning to me. 

"But that's beyond the point. Iteza no Mikoto released Juri and Yohko/the Sakura Griffin to be reborn; his power was not much, but he ensured that they would be reborn every roughly...700 years, if I recall correctly. Every 700 years, a young girl with foresight and the name Juri would be brought from another world and turned into oracle; every 700 years, another young girl with the power to transform into other creatures named Yohko would find the power to turn into a Sakura Griffin. 

"And every 700 years, the Battle of Shin'ai would be fought again by the two of them, leaving death and certain destruction in its wake. 

"It's sad...but so far, they had only succeeded in destroying each other, over and over again. I fear that they may never find the outcome of love vs. difference. They would only destroy more young girls in the process..." 

Enri shuddered at the thought. I knew he didn't like to talk about death, especially of young girls. He was a feminist, if you could call it that...and a pacifist of the violet-eyed kind. A lot deeper than he looked. It was only natural for him to feel the way he did...but...

"Why'd you tell me all this?"

The other monk's eyes still glistened in all their grief and anguish. I'd never seen Motohaku Enri, the cruel-and-heartless-cool -dude wannabe, in a state like this; for all the years I had known the guy, he has had numerous personalities, from strict to kind to almost dreamy, and for a moment, I was afraid he was going to start crying...I didn't know! I couldn't figure the poor guy out...he was just waiting for a slap in the face to demand clarity, wasn't he?

"I told you this..." It was barely an audible whisper. "I told you...because your friend, CLAMPraven-san, as I had said, was not of this world, nor born a Nyan-Nyan. She was born human, much different in appearance than she is today...when I read her mind earlier, I found out her name. It was Hina...Hinamori Yohko. The same name as that of the Sakura Griffin herself..."

Blinking, I stared up at him, wondering whether I had heard him right. 

Hinamori Yohko? Yes, it was the same first name as the Sakura Griffin, Hayushi Yohko...a neat fact, but the look in Enri's dark eyes suggested something else...something urgent, something much more important that I couldn't grasp.

_What was he getting at...?_

"Well, I'm surprised that she's human, if that's what you wanted to know..." I offered, unsure. 

"THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT!!!"

In a split second, the white-haired monk had grabbed me by the collar of my outer robe, shaking me roughly. His face was only a few inches away from mine; his long white hair brushed by my shocked eyes, his wild expression making it very hard for me to breathe. Never in my life had I been this close to those unearthly eyes, and I must say (and may the Koudoutai excuse me; one curse in my whole lifetime can surely be forgiven...), those eyes from hell's pits scared the crap out of me...

"Don't you get it, Sakurayume-baka?!?" He screamed harshly, still hanging on to me. "She's the one, damn it!!! She's the reincarnate of the Sakura Griffin!!! And her lovesick friend that she's seeking help from is no ordinary jack either...she's Juri!!! The f*cking dark oracle of the f*cking bloody eyes and the f*cking lantern of death!!! And her boy toy is f*cking Suzaku that's been f*cking cast down from heaven by the f*cking Tenbinza no bloody-hell Mikoto!!!!!" 

And all I can manage in response to that was a single word. 

"SUGOI..."

And the instinctive "Don't breathe on my face like you're aroused or something..." is also used, but then again, a common response when a guy is about _that_ close to the initial kissing position. Ne...no rambling on, though...

Thank Suzaku that Enri had the common courtesy to drop me back into the chair.

But now that he was back to his pacing around the room, I was left to think about what he had said.

CLAMPraven...Hinamori Yohko? The legendary...Sakura Griffin?!? Impossible...and if what he said had been true, and her friend was the Oracle Juri...wait a second. Friends...? But they're meant to fight together, possibly to the death!! If she has the lantern from the legend, and even the foresight and the red eyes, then this Juri must be the destined one. And...Suzaku has been cast down from heaven by Akiyama Hitori?! He got all that by just reading little CLAMP-chan's mind? But if it's all true, then that means that...

.......no.......

But before I had time to think more, an agitated Tasuki had burst into the room, carrying an unconscious CLAMP-chan in his arms...

* * *

_Ahem...now comes a time where we shall leave the shrine, and go inter-dimensionally to see what Byakko and Hitori are up to. Yet another huge scenery change. Do what you always do at times like this. Wash your brain out._

* * *

~Byakko~

I sighed as I sat in my domain, watching my own tiny TV for the first time since Juri came along...

It was amazing. And, on that same note, it scared the crap out of me. Juri was _her _reincarnate? The first Juri's reincarnate? 

In some ways, I suppose, it did make some since. I mean, it would explain a lot...Juri...er, that is to say, Jenny...was rational, wise, and willful of herself when she put her mind to anything. Even her forbidden love affair with Suzaku resembled that of the original Juri...and her weaponry is no exception. But now CLAMPraven...was the Sakura Griffin?! 

To be truthful, I wouldn't know fact from fiction, since I don't legally own Konan so I can't find out, but if that were true...then they might even destroy each other...

Quietly, I sighed, reaching over for a coke. This place was really convenient when need be, better than what the other gods have any day. When the gods were created, we split up our belongings in heaven, and this was what I picked. Whereas Seiryuu owns a pool (he plans to get a Jacuzzi in the upcoming months), Genbu owns what could possibly be described as the most comfy bedroom in the history of the world, and Suzaku has his TV and furniture, I was the only one who got to drive around heaven...in a trailer. Maybe this was even a bit..._too comfortable_... 

_I can't stand it; I'm living the easy life while Suzaku, Juri and CLAMPraven are struggling..._

Suzaku and the other gods might have forgotten, but I never did. The first Battle of Shin'ai was so controversial it shook even the coldest of us...even the likes of Seiryuu and the likes of Hitori. Over the years, I've had to watch that repeat itself, over and over and over again, watching two dedicated warriors destroy themselves and each other...and every time, my heart ached a little more. I'm not sure if it were just because I was a sappy sentimental tiger like Suzaku's always telling me, or...

One thing was for sure: I couldn't say which was right, Juri or the Sakura Griffin Yohko. My heart was tugging at both ends of the rope. 

But...

But now that Suzaku and Juri's safety is involved, I felt like I had to know for sure. I have to know what's going to happen to them, and at this point in time, I couldn't even care anymore...

_I have to find out whether they were right. Was CLAMPraven really the Sakura Griffin, and was Juri really the oracle that, by the Magna Charta of the Tenbinza, was supposed to die...? I have to know..._

_No time for being wimpy now, Byakko...you have to find it out. And there is only one person who knows..._

Taking one last swig of the coke, I stood up, determined. 

_Hitori knows..._

-

~Hitori~

My realm...my world, was nothing but shadows across shadows, in endless darkness. The only star in my night was my almighty golden creation, Castle Satanica. And in that single castle, in that endless darkness, I stood watching the Universe of the four gods through my mirror.

Beside my all-seeing mirror was a cage, and within the cage were butterfly-shaped twinkles of red light, bashing against their barrier. They were souls, in the form of sparkling wings...the phoenix god Suzaku's souls in particular. All of them were transferred to my care when Suzaku was banished from heaven. Nuriko and Chiriko gleamed the brightest, surrounded by those that knew the Shichiseishi before they died...Kourin, Kouran, Hikou, Shoka...among many others that Suzaku chose to preserve, for one reason or another. 

I had kept the butterflies in my custody for less than a day...and yet in my realm, the time was what you make it to be, and the little creatures of light had started to bore me. So instead, I chose to see what was going on at Hotohori's palace...

CLAMPraven was, indeed, a smart little creature...or should I say, Yohko was. She had succeeded in coming up with a plan, trying to enter a Koudoutai shrine and asking the other Mikotos for aid. It's too bad that they were as tightly bound by righteousness as I was...they wouldn't betray the Koudoutai, like the Iteza no Mikoto did...

/Iteza...Akigo Kano.../

Deep down inside, somewhere in my soul, I felt a twinge of pain. Frowning, I put a hand to my heart.

"It's funny...I sealed you away so long ago, Kano," I whispered to myself, shaking my head. "I had labeled you as a youma, then banished you to the darkest regions of this world...and yet, your silent screams still torment me. Is it because you still think I have...feelings for you...?"

My mind drifted back to the days, my ice blue eyes glazed over by tears that I ignored as promptly as they came. "As soon as Juri and my soldier Yohko had died, the all-powerful creator Taiitsu-kun put a spell upon the two souls that was supposed to place them in the afterlife for eternity. But you, Kano...you were the one Mikoto, out of all us 12, who felt as if that was a wrong thing to do. I'm sure all of us felt the same way...but you were the only brave one, Kano, and you spoke for our silence. And you acted upon it not much later, too...! You released the two souls, and with your powers, you gave them the gift of rebirth...so that the first Battle of Shin'ai led to so many others, though with the same outcome...

"The gods and Taiitsu-kun had told me to take away your powers, and they said you were too much of a danger, a hindrance, allowing the souls the ability to be reborn. Taiitsu-kun told me that you had bound your weapon to the spell that you had created, so that even she could not stop the souls' rebirth cycle. She told me to take whatever measly strength you have, leave you weakened and replace you with another human to become the Iteza no Mikoto.

"But I couldn't bring myself to do that to you, Kano...

A bitter sob escaped me, and I was forced to shed a gleaming tear for it. "I was the lord of the Tenbinza, Kano...! I was in charge of all that was righteous...and it was my job to punish you accordingly for your crimes. It would've been so much easier if we were both human, but I made you bleed for your crimes...with my own hands ~ !! I gave you the title...the title of youma...and I banished you from the...Koudoutai...no one may ever know it, but when I made the rules that forbid love of the immortal, I didn't think it had anything to do with you...and now...you...you may never hear me say that - "

"You loved him?"

Gasping, I turned my head...to see the tiger god, Byakko, beside me. His expression was one of shock, but also of realization.

My bloodshot eyes had turned into raw anger, my expression a wretched one. 

"You..." I hissed, rage turning malevolent as my mace and golden scale appeared in my hands.

"Now I understand..." The white-haired god murmured, approaching me, not heeding my warning. "So this was why...you cried so many nights after banishing the Iteza no Mikoto for what he had committed, we had thought there was something wrong with your health. But now it makes perfect sense...you loved him. Even you have a forbidden love, though...you hid the irony of it from the world. Why would you do that...?"

Byakko's yellow glare hardened. "I had come here to ask you whether what was said at the Koudoutai shrine was true. But now, I know everything. And you...were you afraid that people wouldn't accept you and Kano as a couple? You could've changed the rules...were you afraid that things would go berserk for you if you ever admitted the truth...the real truth?!"

My icy eyes narrowed, my hand clutching on to the mace.

/The bastard.../

/He doesn't know...he doesn't know anything.../

/I...don't love Kano./

/I can't!!!/

Raising my now glowing mace, I smiled the same sadistic smile I always wear as energy swirled up to meet my form, stinging Byakko's body with bloody vengeance. On the tiger god's face was etched shocked horror...nothing less than I had expected. 

"Well, then...if that's what you think," I sneered maliciously at him, "Then you've already broken my Magna Charta. Perhaps a visit to your friend Suzaku as a weak and helpless mortal would advise you to stay clear of tempting the Tenbinza no Mikoto ~ !!!"

There was an explosion of light...

* * *

_Meanwhile, back in Hotohori's palace, Enri was sitting at CLAMPraven's bedside after Tasuki's arrival..._

* * *

~Enri~

A bit after I had vented all my anger out on meek little Sakurayume Taikou (perhaps our face were a bit too close there...), Suzaku no Shichiseishi Tasuki had appeared, bursting in with an impressive array of swearing words, including some objectionable phrases that I never knew existed. Somewhere out of the cursing junkyard of sentences, I managed to pick out 'CLAMPraven', 'passed out', 'wet clothes' along with 'changing', and the customary 'help - damn it'. Judging by CLAMPraven's awkward unconscious position in his arms, I decided to go along with it. 

So...

After an extreeeemely messy changing of robes, CLAMPraven, now clad in monk dress, was on the verge of regaining consciousness.

Lying in my bed, no less. Curse me and my damn sensitive genes...

If this really was the Sakura Griffin Yohko, she had my utmost pity...and yet even I wasn't sure whether I was right in assuming something like that. Maybe it was just instinctive...but I can see now what Sakurayume saw in the girl...

I had offered to watch over her, until she woke up. She looked so peaceful, and so innocent I couldn't help but smile. Cute girl, really...cute enough to make me volunteer my bed, though that was an easy feat. I was more of a feminist than most people knew...always helping out with Hotohori's harem and always finding time to go back to my family. I was the oldest in a set of 3 younger sisters and 5 younger cousins, with a mom that was underage who needed all the help she could get...Seiun-sama had no problems with it, but he often slaps me for returning late and making Sakurayume Taikou do all the work. Though the pink-haired monk was more likely not to protest at all...scrubbing floors and being on the receiving end of Seiun-sama's criticism seemed to be his specialty.

I stared out the window, right next to the bed. It was so peaceful today...I wonder when priest Seiun-sama's going to return? And Sakurayume was out, also; he had to go and find the Seishi, to let them know that their little CLAMP-chan was okay. 

But chances are, the poor guy would be so busy ranting to the Seishi and they'd be too busy staring at his pink hair to get anything done...

"Ugh...Enri?"

I glanced to the bed, to see that CLAMPraven had opened up her eyes. Smiling to her, I turned away from the window. "So you're finally awake?"

The little girl's lips were curled into a frown. "Something...something woke me up."

"Really...?"

She nodded tiredly. "A disturbance, I think. Something doesn't feel right about the atmosphere...it's almost as if a piece of heaven had fallen out, or something along those lines..."

But before she could finish, there was a loud explosion.

(BANG!!!!!)

Without warning, the window shattered to pieces. Songbirds screeched in terror as a large shape flew out of the sky and onto the ground. Dust flew across the garden outside, and a very loud scream of pain could be heard. 

All we could do was stare.

And blink.

And stare.

For the object that had fallen out of the sky was surrounded by a golden aura...and as it stood up from the large 'crater' it made, we could see that the white-haired, golden-eyed man, astonishingly enough, was still alive...

-

_And on another side of the palace..._

-

~Juri~

Chichiri was the first to notice it. "Daaaaa.....(huge sweatdrop)...."

Raising an eyebrow, I stared at the blue-haired monk, frozen by the side of the window. "Chichiri? Chichiri, what's the matter? You look like a god just dropped out of the sky and landed in Hotohori's vegetable garden, or something..."

Yet Chichiri said nothing, just stood there slack-jawed and pointing to Hotohori's vegetable garden like a dummy.

In a few seconds, everyone else had noticed it, too. Soon, the Seishi, as well as Miaka, were all crowding around the window, anxious to see what had surprised the monk. Suzaku and I exchanged worried glances, when comments started to erupt from the shocked group.

"Holy f*cking shit!!! Hotohori, some f*cking white-haired dude made a f*cking crater in your garden!!! Damn, Chichiri, no wonder you look like you've been through hell and back!!"

"...Fell...it fell from the sky, no da...it's ludicrous, na no da...must be some sort of optical illusion, no daaaaa....(sweatdrops)"

"That's no optical illusion...the man fell from the sky, all right. But he's not even hurt at all...!"

"Who cares about the man?! He's ruined my vegetable garden!!!"

"Awesome!!! He ruined Hotohori's vegetable garden!!!!"

"Tamahome!!!"

(slap!)

"Miaka...!!! (pouts)"

"Suzaku-seikun!! Juri-chan!! You've got to come see this!!!!"

Shrugging nonchalantly, Suzaku squeezed his way through the crowd to the window, with me not far behind. 

And what we saw scared the shit out of both of us.

"**BYAKKO?!?!?**" Suzaku screeched, terrified.

I blinked, pointing to the very agitated white-haired tiger god through the glass. "And look! He's _cursing!!_"

* * *

Wow. That was some really long chapter...

In case you're wondering why I put that one line at the end...eheheheheh...if you paid close attention to the fic, you'll notice that up until this point, Byakko hasn't swore once. At least, I don't think so...that's just in case anyone noticed that...Byakko was always the pacifist. 

And remember, if the storyline's too confusing, all you have to do is review and tell me about it!

And yes, only getting two reviews does get on my nerves, but...(shrugs) I could care less...ja ne! (smiles)

-CLAMPraven 


	26. Forbidden Love in the Eyes of Stars' Sc...

**"Juri"**

**-from girl to oracle-**

**By CLAMPraven**

* * *

~ Forbidden Love in the Eyes of Stars ~

Part 25 of the Legend of Juri - Scarlet

* * *

_Suzaku: WHOOHOO!!!! I get to start an author's note, by myself!!!! (stops dancing) (glances around) Now where the f*ck is CLAMPraven?_

_Byakko: Ahem..._

_Suzaku: Eh?_

_Byakko: Suzaku...um...there's something I need to tell you..._

(Suzaku raises an eyebrow, confused. Byakko sweatdrops while pointing in the direction of CLAMPraven's office. Within, we can see CLAMPraven staring dreamily at the screen of her computer...the reviews page, to be exact...)

_Suzaku: What the *hell* is wrong with her?_

_Byakko: (sighs) She's been like this for hours now. For that last huge and unexplainably complicated chapter 25/Part 24, CLAMPraven got 9 reviews, as opposed to the usual two or three. She's also been added to 2 more favorites list. You and I both know CLAMPraven has no social life, so...(twiddles thumbs)..._

_Suzaku: Yeah...uh huh. (nods solemnly) I see. 9 reviews is definitely a stretch for her. Damn, Byakko, I think she's been brainwashed by the screen, or something...did she leave any instructions for us on what to do?_

_Juri: (comes over) Well...(pulls out sticky tab from thin air)...she did leave a list of notes to the reviewers..._

_Suzaku: What does it say?_

_Juri: (squints) Hm...there's a bunch of notes to readers and to us, I think..._

_Juri: Ahem. (clears throat) The note says this. "1. To all reviewers: thanks for your support! I'll try to update faster these days, so look forward to that! 2. To Otaku Pitcher: Yes...I'll try to make Byakko being a human as much of a riot as possible, though it may not be easy...and I'll try and put in more of Chichiri for you, too! No guarantees, though... 3. To Chibigreenwizardmon: You don't understand how grateful I am that you actually like the plot twists! Most people just get tangled up in them. Eheheheheh... 4. To J. Liha: Don't fret; give your brain about a week or two to process the information before moving on to another chapter. It helps. (nodnod) And as the suspense of the Sakura Griffin was very important to me, and Suzaku was being a prick in the ass, well...you know... 5. To Dawn: thank you so much for putting this fic on your favorites list! (beams) 6. To Saihitei no Miko: (Sweatdrops) You don't have to leave a review that long for me to know what you're getting at. I accuse you of nothing. And your fic is your fic is your fic; no copy, no make CLAMPraven mad. (smile) And I won't get angry at you for it unless you don't update the damn thing! So there! (grins) 7. To Draconsis: 4 hours...seriously? Ne...Draconsis...don't staple yourself. (sniggers)" _

_Juri: Yep...that's about it. (blinks) No, wait. There's an eighth note on the back. Er... "8. To Suzaku: Touch the fic and you die. As I may be unconsciously staring into the screen by the time you read this, with no way to pull me out, give Part 24: Scarlet to Byakko. He knows how best to write himself. Please consider this, as your nuclear arsenal compared to my shameless temper alone is outnumbered 100:1. And believe me, I know my ratios. (nodnod)"_

_Juri: And that...is the end. Suzaku?_

_Suzaku: (Sweatdrop. Just...sweatdrop.)_

_Byakko: (sighs and shakes head) Never mind. In any case...YAHOO!!!! (Does the Macarena on the spot and starts cheering in a singsong fashion, much to everyone else's irritation) I get to write a fi-ic! I get to write a fi-ic!! And hey, Macarena..._

_-Byakko... _

* * *

~Byakko~

"**F***************************************CK!!!!!!!!**" I sweared for the first time, at the top of my lungs, no less, climbing out of the crater I made in what seemed to be Hotohori's vegetable garden. "F*ckf*ckf*ckf*ckf*ck!!!! Damnlard-ass Hitorihadtof*ckingkickmeoutofheavenandintof*ckingkonandamndamndamndamndamnDAMN!!!!!"

(silence)

Stopping, I inhaled deeply. "...Wow." 

Slowly I realized just what I had been saying. A rather pleased smile worked its way onto my face. "Hey...that felt good!" 

It only took a few seconds, however, for that smile to disappear.

"Uh...oh..." I murmured, frowning. A hand slapped over my mouth in horror. 

"Oh, no!!! Argh!!! That was the first time I've ever sweared in my whole f*cking life!!!! AAAAAAGH!!! NOT AGAIN!!! No...no...that can't be good...now I'll never get back into heaven...no, wait! I can't get back into heaven anyway!!! Did Hitori banish me?!? But I didn't even do anything!!! No, wait...I know he loves Kano...aw, f*ck. AAAAAAGH!!!! (stomps on foot) OW!!!!! T-This is getting way out of control..." 

Before long, I was pacing around in the crater, shaking with fear.

"But...now there's no one left to look after Suzaku's country...or even my country!!!! A-A-And now that there's only 2 gods in heaven...old Genbu can't even try to take care of Seiryuu!!! He's going to rule the universe...and it's all because of me!!!! Oh, f-f-fudge. FUDGE!! There! I didn't say f - er, that word!!! YES!! (sighs) Oh, who am I kidding..."

Soon after that, I found myself bashing my head serially against a tree. 

"Stupid - stupid - stupid - stupid - stupid - stupid - stupid -"

"Byakko?"

"STUPIDSTUPIDSTUPID ~ !!! (loud bang) AUGH!! Ouchies...huh?"

Stepping away from the tree, I saw two very familiar red eyes glaring at me. 

I blinked. "J-Juri?"

The eyes narrowed as a huge sweatdrop hung off the side of Juri's head. "Byakko...if that is you...stop banging your head against the tree. It's bad for the birds." 

Her expression changed to a worried one. "But enough of that. Why are you out of heaven, anyway? I mean...er...it's not like I'm not happy to see you or anything...it's more of a shock than anything else...but Byakko, you're supposed to be looking out for Konan in Suzaku's place. You mind telling me how this happened?" 

My huge eyes started to water. Finally, a friendly face...!! _Yes...it was her!! Juri!!! JURI!!!!_

"JUUUUUUUUUUURIIIIII!!!!!!!" I cried. Without warning, I glomped the little girl. If I was a bit heavy, she didn't say much about it, and it wasn't any of my concern. 

Anyways... 

"IT'S REALLY YOU ~ !!!!! ^ ________^ "

-

~Jenny~

If one person's sweatdrops could fill an ocean, they would all be mine. Frankly, I didn't think sweatdrops got this big. 

But at this point in time, with Byakko glomping me, clutching on and sobbing like it was the end of the world, well...no amount of embarrassment was impossible. He was obviously in his own little world, and he may not have noticed it, but Miaka, the Suzaku Shichiseishi, what seemed like CLAMPraven on the other end of the palace, the servants, the monks, and Hotohori's entire harem (I think anyone can guess how big of a crowd _that _was...) were staring at this little charade from their windows. Or smashed windows, depending on where you were. This was almost as bad as when me and Suzaku locked lips. And since Byakko was huge, and undoubtedly one of the heaviest people who have ever glomped me before......

"Er...Byakko..." I nudged him weakly, at the point of suffocation. "I think you ought to - "

"WAAAAAAAAAH!!!! JURI!!!!" The god cried harder, completely deaf to my prying, still holding me in a vice grip, waterfalls gushing out of his eyes the size of Niagara Falls times ten. "YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I WENT THROUGH!!!! BOY, AM I HAPPY TO SEE YOU!!! Er..." Lowering his voice considerably, he added, "You didn't hear me swearing, by any chance?"

Somewhere between a mass of sweatdrops and popping veins, I managed to hiss, "Byakko...", but to no avail as he continued.

"OF COURSE YOU DIDN'T HEAR ME SWEARING!!! I NEVER SWORE!!! SWEARING IS BAD!!! EVEN THOUGH I MIGHT'VE SAID ABOUT A MILLION CURSES AS I FELL, YOU DIDN'T HEAR ME!!! THAT'S GOOD! OHOHOHOHOHO!!! I NEVER - "

"**BYAKKO......!!!!!**" 

Byakko stopped crying. "Eh?" 

I brightened considerably as I saw, from behind Byakko's mass of white hair, an infuriated Suzaku standing over him. And if looks could kill, he probably didn't even need his godliness back to smite people with.

In an instant, Byakko was at gunpoint as the redhead hauled him to his feet by the collar. A menacing grin spread over Suzaku's face (and with good reason! Yet another excuse for beating up the sentimental tiger...).

"And...um, just what were you doing with my girlfriend, Byakko-_chan_?" He snarled. The words 'extreme sarcasm' could be seen in bright flashing neon signs all around the two.

Byakko stared. No crying, no hugging, just staring. He seemed almost confused. "Ne?"

Sighing in relief, I slowly began to creep away...

Just in time to see Byakko bouncing back, enveloping Suzaku in yet another huge sumo glomp!

"WAAAAAAAAHH!!!! SUZAKUUUUU!!!!! I'VE MISSED YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!"

I nearly facevaulted as Byakko started to cry all over a very desperate-looking Suzaku. So did the rest of the Shichiseishi from the window.

This was going to be a loooong day...

-

~Enri~

I - very nearly - screeched like a girl. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN, HE'S _BYAKKO_?!?" 

CLAMPraven nodded, equally stunned and equally embarrassed as 'Byakko' went on to hug Suzaku, while her friend Juri's sweatdrop grew increasingly large. "Believe me, Enri. I'd recognize that face anywhere. I've seen it in all sorts of posters and manga...er, from my world," she added, noticing my confusion.

Her voice held distinct worry. "But...why is he here? He didn't get banished like Suzaku...did he?" 

Frowning, I stared at the little girl. She must've known - if only through guessing - that if only half of the original number of gods are in the heavens, soon crisis will arise. 

I had heard of this, when I was only a child. No one knows what type of dilemma will occur when more than one god is banished...some say the weather would take a turn for the worst. Some say the countries will decline in social status, or perhaps wage more devastating wars. Whatever the consequences were, they were huge...and since Byakko and Suzaku had no one to look after their countries in their absence, it is even worse...but is that really the case?

My gaze on the girl softened, as I gently put a hand on her shoulder. 

"Go check what's going on," I informed her, to her surprise, "and I'll track down old Sakurayume for you, since you obviously like him so much, ne?" I chuckled, noting CLAMPraven's immediate blush. Mind reading can be so much _fun..._ "The pink-haired one ought to be around here somewhere. Thank god that I also sent Tasuki back, just in case he didn't deliver the message. Hell, if I know him, he probably stopped to rant on the way about his hair color and never got to the Shichiseishi to tell them where you were, and what he and I had...discussed."

"Discussed...?"

I shook my head, putting on a mild smile. "It's none of your concern. Go ahead. I'll catch up with you..."

-

Smirking, I restrained the urge to laugh. Bad for my image.

After a bit of wandering through the palace halls, I finally got to my destination. Sakurayume Taikou was exactly where I had thought he would be. In the middle of the hall. Oblivious to his surroundings. Ranting and raving madly to the point where he almost had to tear his hair out. In front of Empress Houki, no less...

"...and just because you're the Empress, you think you can prejudice those amongst your people that have PINK HAIR by STARING?!?" He continued loudly, to the woman's delight. Apparently, Houki found redundant ranting extremely amusing. 

*/She's not the only one,/* I grinned, thinking to myself, half-tempted to just listen to the whole thing. 

*/But of course, if you don't cut a weed, it'll kill the flowers. And the members of the harem nearby look like they're dying from Sakurayume's voice.../*

*/Actually, I think it's more like they're dying from my presence. How is it possible for a monk to remain chaste when the entire harem is fawning over him?/*

I sweatdropped at the majority of the harem, with their unanimous blushing and the occasional faint.

*/Maybe it's the hair...or these stupid violet eyes. Or those flowers you keep sending them? You and your stupid feminism./*

*/Eheh...why don't we go back on topic? Sakurayume's still annoying the empress. Time for me to make my entrance, ne? (mental blush)/*

Shaking my head violently, I returned my attention to the task at hand. The ranting pinkness, himself...

"SAKURAYUME!!!!" I called, cutting him off in mid-sentence.

"...It is absolute injustice and - WAAAGH!!!" The pink-oriented monk jumped, cringing. "Motohaku-san!!!!"

I shook my head as he turned to face me, suppressing a giggle. Houki-sama was there! And I had to remain cool and indifferent in front of _Houki-sama_...there was no other way to impress royalty these days, I swear... "Did you even hear what happened outside in Heika-sama's vegetable garden? _Either of you?!_"

"I'm pretty sure I heard something," Houki responded, nodding. "Not him, though...at that time, he was actually on the subject of the advantages of having pink-colored attacks instead of the normal ones..."

"But there are none," I concluded.

"Exactly!" She laughed, a crystalline sound. She really was beautiful...reminded me strongly of the late Lady Kourin, except a real woman this time. "Well, I suppose you'll want him back, now. But if the poor pink thing ever needs a job as an imperial entertainer..." She glanced smugly at a now red Sakurayume Taikou, "...just drop him off at my advisor's office. And if he's not interested in the pay, I suppose there are other things we can offer him. Food, clothing...and a less fierce boss than Priest Ryuuza-sama...I'm sure he won't ignore that!"

"Actually...it's Seiun-sama..."

"Oh? Well, why does he have you call him by the first name?"

"He mostly preaches under the Otomeza no Mikoto...it's in his Magna Charta that says 'it would be a friendlier world without annoying honorifics'. He has everyone call everyone by just the first name when he's actually at the temple. Er...emotional nonsense, of course," I added, straightening to try and look tougher. "The Uoza no Mikoto has much more important standards." 

"I'm sure he does...you preach under him, don't you? In any case, see you both around! Oh dear...I hope Boushin-chan didn't get scared by that loud disturbance outside..." 

Turning gracefully, long imperial gown sweeping across sunlight, her eyes both brilliant and mysterious, Empress Houki practically glided across the floor to the nursery chambers. 

And all my mind could say was, */What a remarkable woman...so strong and ethereal, like a goddess in her own right...!/*

My chaste conscience mentally slapped me. */Stop being such a feminist. You...you feminist, you...!!/*

Sakurayume didn't look exactly pleased by this. "As much as I try to stop ranting, well...she didn't even stick around to hear the final words! Not fair..." He muttered.

I shrugged, flipping my white hair delicately (this earning another unanimous sigh from the harem and a sweatdrop from me...). "She's the Empress. Not much you can do. Now come on! We're going to be late...!"

-

~Hotohori~

Soon, Miaka, Juri, Suzaku, CLAMPraven (who had just crossed over from another section of the palace altogether), and the seishi had gone outside into the vegetable garden (or what used to be one), having gotten equal doses of Byakko's rather fierce glomping...

Apparently, the object that had fallen out of the sky was really truly the white tiger god, Byakko. When he fell, he seemed to be bathed in a golden light...Hitori's, if I didn't know any better. When he finally touched the ground, he began to swear in ways that would make Tasuki ashamed... 

Hm. On that same note, just before Byakko had fallen out of the sky, Tasuki had finally come back, 'from a f*cking Koudoutai shrine where CLAMPraven had fainted, damn it', so he says. That explained a lot to me, including why CLAMPraven had asked me where the Koudoutai shrine was in the first place. 

In any case...

Stunned, Juri was the first to talk to Byakko...in which he immediately clung onto her, showering her with buckets of tears...literally. When Suzaku tried to pry him off of her, he only latched onto the ex-phoenix. Then Miaka tried the same thing, with similar results, even though why he said he missed Miaka (who he never even met in person) I'll never know. And so on, and so on. And as he finally stopped hugging and crying for long enough to talk, I had a chance to study his features. 

His long hair was entirely Byakko white, a lengthy silk that ran down his back gracefully, two silvery sideburns dangling in front of his ears. He was well built physically, though a bit on the skinny side; his height was roughly the same as Suzaku's, perhaps smaller. His eyebrows are actually quite strong, and he could probably look much fiercer when he was serious. And his eyes...bright gold, with narrow slits, the same cat eyes that he has as a tiger. Like the rest of the gods, he was more beautiful than he was handsome, as was Suzaku with his flashy scarlet hair and sharp eyes. And yet...

I sighed, satisfaction reigning on my features. /*/Still not as gorgeous as me.../*/

"So...are you going to tell us what happened or not?" CLAMPraven ventured to ask, to a now calmed down Byakko.

There was a moment of silence. The tiger god's gaze softened as he looked up, to face everyone.

Then,

"I was banished."

My eyes widened in muted horror. /*/B...Banished? Like Suzaku was, banished from heaven...?!?/*/

It seemed as though time had stopped. Everyone around me had the same shock and horror etched across their features. Even though our miko had heard about as much about Byakko as the rest of her soldiers, I could see tears glistening in her eyes. 

"Banished..." Byakko repeated, as if he didn't quite know the meaning of the word himself up until now. Perhaps he didn't. Swearing and hitting his head against a tree was more comic relief than regret, in all seriousness, as he realized now. Now, his body was shaken, by fear, by anger... 

"Why...why didn't I fight back...? Hitori...was right in front of me when he did it...I could've easily struck him upside the face, stolen the golden scale from his hands, and I could've still had a couple of days of refuge in the heavens to give his scale to you guys before I was caught!!" The ex-tiger god's voice was shivering from hysteria, resembling in every which way a nervous wreck. "Now there's only Genbu and Seiryuu in the heavens...half of the Universe of the four gods will be torn apart by lack of heavenly assistance, and it's...it's because of me...the stupid sentimental, cowardly tiger that never does anything right, never will...I'm sorry, everyone...Juri...C-CLAMPraven...Suzaku..." 

Byakko gasped, unable to go on. His voice was choked up, guilty, unaware of anything else...

"Byakko..." Suzaku approached him, his expression unreadable. 

Everyone else made way for him to walk through the crowd wordlessly. Soon, he was no more than a few inches apart from Byakko. Gently, the redheaded ex-god cupped a hand underneath the other's chin, raising his friend's face so that their eyes locked...

...and to everyone's surprise, struck him.

-

~Seiun (the Koudoutai priest...remember?)~

Humming to myself happily, dragging a bag of incense and healing herbs from the market in one hand, I hopped down the road directly in front of the palace...I had not a care in the world. Kicking the pebbles on the dirt, and marveling at the setting sun, I marched on, all the while thinking out loud.

"Hm! I wonder what Taikou and Enri have been up to in my absence? Hm..." I asked no one in particular, scratching my long white beard with one free hand. "Probably wreaking havoc in the shrine, not that there's anyone there to see it. Hm! There's not a day that goes by when Taikou isn't ranting at least 5 times an hour, or when Enri isn't attracting at least someone from the harem, even though he's so clumsy himself! Hm, hm! Shouldn't have taken a vacation at all, they need someone to keep them in check, after all..."

My hand found its way to my belt, where my kendo stick was latched on, its length covered with dents and scrapes from constant...not to mention harsh...contact with two very clumsy monks' heads. 

I smiled wickedly. "Hm...!! They're probably weakened from not being beat on the forehead for so many days without me...this is really the best time to beat them back into shape. Hm!!"

Soon, the palace gates were already in front of me. I grinned in a typical fashion, bowing to the soldiers guarding it; they knew me quite well as an old monk, but also as a wise general in my own right. Hm...I used to be a real general before I became a monk, leading Konan to war...a favorite of Emperor Saihitei's grandfather, also...

Before I went inside the palace, however, I noticed something strange.

Near the gate was a young servant girl, dragging along a large dog. I'm pretty sure I saw Enri helping her with her gardening chores once...Uwabami Irasa, her name was. She was a young skinny-looking girl, about the age of the Suzaku no Miko, with a shocking flare of electric blue hair and pale, serpentine yellow eyes; from what I've heard, she was also quite deaf. 

She seemed to be struggling with the large canine on the other end of the leash, an almost wolf-like dog with...

I gasped. 

Brilliant red eyes. Dark as the bloodied rose petals in midnight's glare. The eyes that can only belong to one of the minions of the dark Oracle Juri.

"_Koudoutai no Aisu, henshin!!!!_" I immediately yelled, focusing a bright flash of silver at the animal. 

The bright beam of light shrouded the dog in a misty glaze; in an instant, it was completely frozen. A last desperate howl tore through the trees and the sky, before being cut off by cold death; its now frosted leash snapped, leaving the servant girl completely horrified. Even the guards nearby cringed at the spell.

Furious, I rushed over to the girl, Irasa, who was already quite afraid. "What do you think you're doing, walking a red-eyed animal, hm?!? Don't you know it's the worst omen in the books?!? Hm?!? Anyone who ever meets an animal with eyes that red and an aura that evil is an omen of death, from the soul of the Oracle Juri!!! They appear just before someone's about to die!!! Who gave you these orders, young lady?!"

Pastel yellow eyes stared back at me in confusion through flashy blue bangs. "I'm sorry, sir..." Irasa fumbled with her fingers. "Please, sir...I can't read your lips if you speak so fast. Especially since you have such a large beard."

"Who...does...the...dog...belong...to...?!" I repeated my question, recalling that the girl is deaf, but at the same time impatient. 

There's only one girl that would take pity on such an animal. Heck, there's only one girl that the animal can belong to at all...!! It's one of her servants...must be...and even if her reincarnation isn't aware of it, she attracts these animals. The power of her amulet, with the kanji for gold inscribed on it...the power of her lantern...the power of her soul alone attracts these omens of hatred, of death...

"Well, let me think..." Irasa started again, now a bit more confident now that I had slowed down my speech. "One of Heika-sama's friends, a small dwarfish girl named CLAMPraven had assigned the animal to me earlier today. She had said that it wasn't hers, but rather an animal that the Suzaku Shichiseishi found in the mountains. It belongs to another young lady, Juri..."

My eyes narrowed. 

"So...the Battle of Shin'ai has finally found its two players, after yet another 700 years..." I murmured.

The servant girl frowned, small snakelike fangs jutting out into her lower lip. "Battle...of Shin'ai?" She asked tentatively. "Is that what you had said? I'm sure I've heard about that from Eiri-san once. Are you his priest, Ryuuza Seiun-sama?"

But I wasn't listening to her. I was staring at the ice cube at her feet, in which the red-eyed dog had been frozen. Its bloody eyes stared, even in death...at me, its assassin. I had killed it. And yet, it was far from defeated. 

The red-eyed animals will continue to be drawn to the original Juri's reincarnation, bringing omens of death to the people around her. She was a magnet, with scarlet eyes herself. And if I knew my facts, these animals that she brings about will attack the Shichiseishi, first and foremost...Juri, in order to gain her old powers, had to have 4 candles...four candles for four of the strongest souls, before she can reveal herself and, in turn, reveal her opponent, the Sakura Griffin Yohko. And who was stronger than the Shichiseishi? And luckily for her, there were more than enough...

But what if the invasion of the red-eyed had already started?

I had to warn them. 

"Ryuuza Seiun-sama?"

In an instant, I grabbed Irasa's arm, pulling both of us in the direction of the palace doors. "COME ON!!!!"

-

_Meanwhile, in a certain bombarded vegetable garden..._

-

~Byakko~

Gasping, I raised a hand to where Suzaku had struck me. It burned red, almost as red as his eyes. 

Like it or hate it, he was eternally stronger than me, and his unexpected hit had knocked me to the ground, bruising my elbows. When I had the nerve to look up again, the redheaded ex-god stood over me, his expression still unreadable. 

My eyes widened at this, frightened by what he meant by this. 

Everyone else was just as stunned as I was. Miaka was only held back by Tamahome from trying to slap sense into Suzaku. The other seishi were likewise, with Tasuki's fanged jaw slack and Chichiri's mask nearly falling off in shock. Even Mitsukake looked surprised. 

Yet CLAMPraven and Juri only exchanged a look, full of sympathy, though wise. 

I grimaced, my cheek still throbbing from the pain. _It's like those two, to know what's going on..._

_Only wish I knew..._

Suzaku brushed red silk away from his eyes. "Baka," He muttered. "What is wrong with you? Why are you always so keen on being so sentimental 24/7?" With that, he extended a pale hand. 

And if the punch had surprised me, this was the icing on the cake. "Eh?"

"Do you really think I hit you just for the sake of hitting you, like before?!"

_O-kay...now I was really confused. _"Ne????"

Suzaku raised his hand warningly.

I winced. "Okay...I'll let you speak! Just...don't hit me again, 'cause then I'll be really, _really _confused..."

He narrowed his eyes...but not in irritation. My cat eyes could see through him...it could be more accurately described as him being frustrated, trying to find the right words. Clearing his throat, he tried again.

"Byakko, you're weird. I've come to live with that. It's OK. In fact, you're a lot of other things, too. You're annoying, you're stupid, you have a tendency to wet my couch...but never have I ever, EVER categorized you as brave, in my mind. You've always been the pacifist, and one of the most simple-minded sympathetic life forms I've ever known in my entire life, which is to say, a few thousand years. If there was ever an argument, you'd be on the scene in a second. 'Oh, let's be friends,' you'd say, and then we'd slap you silly and lock you in your trailer for a week. You'd remember that. A few times over. But brave, _you?_ Hardly..."

He pulled on his red sideburn, obviously embarrassed to have this speech at all...then continued. 

"But lately, you've begun to surprise me, Byakko. First, you fall out of the sky. Second, you start to _swear_, something I didn't think I would hear before I die."

"But you're immortal," I pointed out innocently.

He glared. "That's...kind of my...point, Byakko."

I blinked. "Oh."

"Ahem...in any case, you sweared. Third, I find out that you've stood up to Hitori, one of the most powerful Mikotos in the whole Koudoutai, risking everything up to the whiskers on your chin for me and Juri's relationship. This shocked me, Byakko. Felt like someone was shoving a firecracker down my throat. You risked your life, your immortality...for us."

I couldn't help but blush. "Aw, gee..."

Suzaku's attitude took an immediate turn for the milder. He had, on his face, one of the sweetest smiles I'd ever seen. "Now do you understand why I had to slap some sense into you? You don't go for the melodramatic crap when you've accomplished something like this. And I know you might think otherwise, but to me, you're more useful now than you were ever as a god. You're a warrior now, Byakko. This proves it to me. And now we all know we can trust you, our ally...and, uh...(turns red)...my friend."

(dead silence from everyone)

My eyes were wide and shiny. "Your...f-friend? Seriously???"

Somewhat reluctantly, he nodded.

Well, what can I say? That last line did it for me. 

And...oh, yeah...did I mention I glomped him afterwards?

"THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!!!! SUZAKU-CHAAAAAAAN!!!!!!!!" 

"(gasp) (choke) Byakko...!!!! GETOFFOFME!!!! (hack) MEDIC!!!"

-

~CLAMPraven~

Juri and I shared evil fangirl grins as we watched Byakko glomp the life out of Suzaku. 

"It's amazing how corny and saccharine it gets around here sometimes," I remarked smugly. "So many damn morals and all that other shit, Hotohori-sama's palace probably reeks of it by now. But, ne, it's good yaoi material."

She elbowed me. Hard. "You aren't talking abut my boyfriend, right?"

I shrugged. "A girl can dream, can't she?"

Juri shook her head. "Think what you want, I guess..." She smirked despite herself. "But you can try and pair up Tasuki and Chichiri. Even though the bandit has been giving _you_ looks lately."

Sweatdrops. "Why does everyone think that?!?"

"Because it's true!" Came a voice from behind me. 

I turned around to see none other than Taikou (The sakura pink god!!! Muahahahaha!!!) and Enri behind me. 

"You two?" I exclaimed. "I didn't realize you guys were here! How much of _that_ have you seen?" I pointed in the direction of the little Byakko and Suzaku fiasco. 

"Enough to know that the gods are far from superior...if you know what I mean," Enri replied. 

Juri gaped at the two monks. "You know these two?"

Turning to look at her, I realized that I had, once again, caught everyone's attention. And just like many times before, they were all slack-jawed and staring. Except Chichiri, for one, who recognized them instantly.

"Koudoutai monks, no da?" He asked curiously, fascination written all over his mask. 

Tasuki raised a red eyebrow. "Damn right! How the hell did you know?" 

The blue-haired monk turned to him, a mysterious glint in his eye. "Taiitsu-kun made everyone who studied under her to read about the Koudoutai and their shrines, na no da. Anyone who ever had Taiitsu-kun teach them anything had to study it for days, no da. After all that, you'd recognize a Koudoutai monk anywhere, no da. I'm sure CLAMPraven can relate...Nyan-Nyans have to read even larger tankoubons about it than normal servants, right?"

I nodded. "Hell, yeah. The old hag made us do a lot of crazy things, but this was one of them that actually came in handy. Makes me wonder if she knew all along."

"The creator of the world knows all," Taikou firmly stated. "And that is that."

"Um...excuse me," Miaka cut in, "But...you never introduced yourselves. Who are you, exactly...and what is a 'Koudoutai' monk, anyways?"

It only took me a few seconds to tell that everyone else - Juri, Miaka, the other seishi - was plenty confused about this. 

So...imagine their surprise when a tiny old man with a huge beard, leading a short-haired servant girl with yellow eyes, came running into the garden?

Taikou's jaw dropped. "Seiun-sama? You're back? What - "

But the anger and determination etched in the old man's eyes and his flaring aura made Taikou lose his voice completely. 

"Hm...Juri..." Seiun-sama hissed, pointed a stiff finger at the girl beside me. Soon, the finger lit up with a fearsome, violet light, as ki gathered in his hand. 

His eyes narrowed.

"Your red eyes shall mean your demise."

* * *

Corny, corny dialogue. Longer chapter than even the one before. Forgive me folks. I CAN'T HELP IT!!! 

_Suzaku: In other words, she is possessed by the spirit of Weiss Kreuz._

_Juri: Which we don't own. _

_Suzaku: Er...right. But see what happens when you try and read something like that?! You get brainwashed!! Brainwashed, I tell you!!! First 5 hours on the computer (which, by the way, we had to pry her off of by the use of Watase Yuu's tow truck), and now this!!! Which no one can follow and no one understands!!! You've been reading Weiss fanfiction, haven't you?!? How else does someone write like this?!_

Wait...no, I haven't.

_Suzaku: Hold on. Aren't we forgetting something...?_

_Juri: (narrows eyes) Yeah. Byakko wrote this chapter, not CLAMPraven._

(pause)

_Suzaku and Juri: (snaps fingers) OH, YEAH...!!!! _

_-Byakko... _


	27. Forbidden Love in the Eyes of Stars' Hu...

**"Juri"**

**-from girl to oracle-**

**By CLAMPraven**

* * *

~ Forbidden Love in the Eyes of Stars ~

Part 26 of the Legend of Juri - Hurricane

* * *

Ohayo, minna! The sun is shining, the sky is clear...I'm in an especially good mood today, I think, so no beating up Suzaku for the remainder of this chapter!!

_Suzaku: ...(blink blink) Did I hear her correctly?! _

(Quick nod) I'm very very happy today! I've caught the happy fever! So before I change my mind and decide to eat the rest of your white chocolate and turn into an akuma again, kicking your ass to Timbuktu, I suggest you be quiet! (smiles again) Heehee...(rubs hands together)...run along, now. I've got an experiment to complete...heheheheheh...

_Suzaku: (narrows eyes)_

_Suzaku: Okay. _

_Suzaku: (Walks away)_

(As soon as Suzaku got far enough away, he broke into Mach 3 all the way to Byakko's trailer.)

_Suzaku: DAMN IT, BYAKKO!!! PUT UP THE F*CKING DEFENSIVE WALLS!!! GATHER UP ALL YOUR BOMBS!!! CLAMPRAVEN'S GOING TO KILL US ALL!!!! (runs around frantically, collecting all of Byakko's explosives from around the room)_

_Byakko: (confused) What makes you think that? (blinks) Suzaku, be careful with the uranium..._

_Suzaku: I'll tell you why I think that!! Hell, I'll tell you why I KNOW that!!!! I walked into her office a second ago, and she says she's HAPPY today, and tells me she's not going to beat me up. In short, she was being NICE to me. (pauses) Holy shit, Byakko, this is some nice artillery you've got here..._

_Byakko: CLAMPraven...being nice?! (shudders) That...did NOT sound right._

_Suzaku: Exactly! When was the last time you heard her telling me she wasn't going to beat me up?! (struggles with a mountain of explosives) Now, listen! CLAMPraven's got something huge planned. What, I don't know. Now, either she's going to make us do something really terrible in the fic, or there's something very, very wrong with the planets' alignments today. (looks at pile of explosives) Damn it, Byakko, how'd you get all this?! _

_Byakko: Uh...actually, CLAMPraven gave them to me. In fact, I think she gave half her military arsenal to me. They're not all in here...most of them are buried underneath the trailer, and some of them got lodged in Seiryuu's pool when I played with them, leading to his promise that I'll never be allowed in his jacuzzi, ever, if he gets one. So, anyways, CLAMPraven-san figured I was the only one who had no use for explosives because I'm a pacifist, so she gave half to me for safekeeping. _

_Suzaku: ........................................................................_

_Byakko: Eh...Suzaku...? (pales)_

_Suzaku: ...................**TEME**..............and why...the HELL...didn't you tell me before?!?!? (drops explosives in exasperation) With that kind of nuclear arsenal, we can get rid of CLAMPraven for good!!!! You said that the explosives were buried underneath this thing?! Byakko, where the hell is your crane?! Aw, screw it, just drive the trailer off the space! Then see if you can borrow Watase-sama's bulldozer; it's time for a little bit of minesweeping...(evil grin)..._

-CLAMPraven 

* * *

~Jenny~

The tiny old man, who had been briefly introduced as a Seiun-sama, pointed a stiff finger at me, which immediately led to violet ki whipping around his form, gathering in his hand. As I stared back at him in shock, he narrowed his eyes venomously.

"Your red eyes shall mean your demise." He spat, gathering the final sphere of ki above his head. "_KOUDOUTAI NO INFERUNO YO_!!!"

Before I had time to react, a bouquet of lavender flames exploded from the depths of the sphere, and spun in a blazing helix in my direction, crushing everything in its path into ash with raging vigor. 

Terrified, I raised my hands in front of my face...

Then blinked, as I realized someone's shadow overlapped my form.

"S...Suzaku...?!"

-

~Suzaku~

"JENNY!!!!!" I screamed, as I dove in between her body and the inferno in a last move of desperation, as the Koudoutai priest's fiery blast sped across the ground, with her as its only target...

Immediately, I felt the searing pain against my back, and the agonizing realization that I no longer had a god's immunity, and the hurt was very, very real...clenching my fists, I squeezed my eyes shut, willing myself not to cry...

_For Jenny...for Jenny..._

I could hear the screams of horror from my miko, Byakko, CLAMPraven, the seishi...I could hear distinctively the Koudoutai priest's spell echoing in my head, the voices of his student monks telling him desperately to stop...struggling through the heat, trying not to scream, I forced my eyes open, just before the violet flames enveloped me. 

_Stop it...the burning, the burning..._

There I saw, through blurry tearstained eyes, a vision that broke my heart.

_No...!!_

Jenny, stricken with shock, stood just a few feet away. The little girl was horrified, her raven black hair whipping around her face, her red eyes, once laughing, shining violent fear. I could see her mouth my name, yet I could hear no words. Her pale hands, trembling, reached for me in the lavender blaze...

"Jenny..." I whispered, tears escaping as I reached out my own hand...we were so close and almost together, despite the pain... the incessant pain...

All of a sudden, the inferno exploded with a roar!

One last desperate scream of her name tore its way out of my throat, as the raging lavender heat choked and engulfed my body. Before her hand reached mine, everything...was gone...

-

~CLAMPraven~

_No..._

"Juri!!! JURI!!!!!" I screeched, tearing through the smoke of the purple inferno as fast as my legs could carry me.

Where the attack had been now knelt Juri, sobbing uncontrollably, clutching Suzaku in her arms. At the last second, the ex-god had leaped in the way of the Koudoutai inferno, blocking the attack off from the defenseless oracle. Now Suzaku's body was motionless, bruised and battered horribly, blood ebbing from his still form. His breath was only a faint wisp, every few seconds. His eyes were closed, as if lifeless, as Juri's tears soaked his matted red hair.

The scene was so deathly, I barely had the nerve to approach them. "Juri..."

Slowly, the smoke around us cleared, as more voices could be heard.

"Juri-chan!!! Suzaku-seikun!!!!"

"YOU BASTARD!!! WHY THE HELL DID YOU F*CKING ATTACK THEM?!? THEY WERE DEFENSELESS!!!!" 

"JURI!!! Are you okay, no da?!?"

"Seiun-sama!!! Don't fire at them!!! The girl - she's innocent!!! DON'T HURT HER BECAUSE OF HER TITLE ~ !!! Damn you, Taikou...let me go!!!!"

I blinked, turning my head in the direction of the voice...straight at Enri. "What...? "

The white-haired Koudoutai monk was shaking with anger, his violet eyes blazing rebellion and shining tears, only restrained by Taikou's firm grasp on his arm. His glare was fixated at his priest, who released the attack. 

"Please, Seiun-sama," His voice turned desperate, "Don't do this...!!!"

I set my jaw. "What are you talking about, Enri? What do you mean, 'her title'?"

Before the monk could answer, however, Seiun already spoke for him. 

"It's none of your concern," the tiny old man spat harshly. "You will find out soon enough why I have to do what I do. Hm, you are a student of Taiitsu-kun, ne? She should've told you...hm! It is written in the stars...love between Juri and Suzaku is forbidden, as is any relationship with a god. Hm, this should not exist at all! Before the oracle is allowed to gather any more potent death candles for her lantern and become any stronger, it would make it much easier for this universe if someone were to kill her. Good riddance, I say...hm! Thankfully, I have found out her identity. She will not kill any more people with her red-eyed beasts. Hm!"

I was confused as hell by all this, but kept a firm face. He wants to kill Juri...he wants to kill Juri...why? She's mourning for her love on the spot, who nearly killed himself to save her...

Apparently, the old man had started to gather energy in his palm as he spoke, a grim smile on his lips. "Hm...though I am sorry for you...how you became a friend of hers, I'll never know."

My teeth clenched, as I fired up a spell of my own. "I don't give a living f*ck what you don't understand."

It was then that I remembered about the servant girl standing next to him. Her electric blue hair tossed in the wind, as her pastel serpentine yellow eyes traveled from me, and back to the little man standing next to her. Small fangs poked out from above her lip as she stood there, her expression anticipating.

I frowned. "Haven't I seen you somewhere before?" I asked the girl as my whole body glowed with the spell I cast, pink orbs now surrounding my form.

The girl appeared startled. "I'm sorry...please speak a bit more slowly; I can only read your lips that way," her voice was barely a hiss. "I'm deaf, you see..."

If a lightbulb had gone off above my head, I wouldn't have been surprised. "Oh...you're that girl I lent Chiriko-chan to earlier today!" I exclaimed, trying to keep my speech slow enough as ki gathered around me; I received a timid nod from the snake-like girl. "Irasa, your name was? Yeah, I remember you! The whole harem called you Chibi-Hebi-chan! But wait..." My features clouded over. "Why isn't Chiriko-chan with you? And why are you with _him_?!?" I gestured to Seiun.

"Honestly, I'm not sure," Irasa shrugged hopelessly, staring at Seiun, who had already gathered up enough ki to fire. "I'm about as clueless as the rest of you, I'm sure. He dragged me along with him after he used an ice spell..._Koudoutai no Aisu_, if I recall it...on the wolf puppy you gave me to look after..."

My eyes flashed lightning. "_Koudoutai no Aisu?! _That's enough to kill a person, let alone an animal!!"

Behind me, I realized, Juri had started to rise up, giving Suzaku's unconscious body to Mitsukake. I could feel the glare of her fiery eyes, her powers rising higher and higher like a tsunami.

"You...killed...Chiriko-chan...?!?" She whispered menacingly, stepping forward...

When I had finally powered up, turning around, I saw that her eyes were murderous, glowing an eerie hue that had never before seen the light of day, the redness of a bloodied rose in midnight's glare, the nightmarish dawning of something I couldn't comprehend.

"Juri...?" I asked tentatively. 

The oracle raised a pale hand...on her wrist was the amulet that Suzaku had given her, the kanji for gold gleaming with fearsome passion. Her expression was twisted and unreadable. 

"Miaka...please retrieve my lantern," she asked the stunned miko standing to one side, who could only nod. Soon her gaze traveled to me, and as our eyes locked, I could feel romance how strongly she felt it, her willpower drowning out doubt and prejudice. 

It was no longer the friend I knew, but a woman of many ages, one whom I felt most secure fighting for.

"CLAMPraven...you've been so loyal to me." Juri's gaze softened, revealing that the little girl I knew was still in there somewhere. "One day, when wishes come true, and all of my beloved ones can be restored, I will remember that you fought for me. Thank you. A little longer, and I will be able to join you, as soon as my lantern gets here. But I'll never forget your sincerity...know that."

I nodded, turning to face a surprised Seiun, a smirk on my face. "No, shit...you own me. _SAKURA HARUICHIBAN!!!!_"

All hell let loose as a brilliant burst of light, as peony pink as I had ever blushed, exploded from my body in jagged arcs and hurled themselves in a vicious spiral at the priest, the essence of the sakura turned into disaster...

I no longer cared about the consequences of this attack...I knew how deadly it was, and I planned to utilize it regardless...

Taiitsu-kun's training is finally coming in handy...

-

~Seiun~

I gasped as the attack came forth. "The Sakura Haruichiban?! How is that possible?!" 

Instinctively, I turned the energy I had charged up into a barrier as the light smashed forth; the ki I had conjured would've been useless, if I had fired it as an attack. The Koudoutai Inferno would have done nothing for this. 

"Get out of the way!!!" I cried to the servant girl next to me, pushing her aside. "Do you want to be killed?!?"

The serpentine girl, eyes widened and scared, landed off to the side. Out of the range of the Sakura Haruichiban, she crawled away, whimpering fearfully as the Suzaku Shichiseishi surrounded her. They'd protect her for now...

The attack was upon me instantly in fierce waves of energy, the force itself drilling into the shield I had created. Straining to withstand it with my barrier, I dug my feet in the soil, only to have the storm push me back, dirt flying around me, my vision blurred. Soon, the barrier had to give way; the entire wall shattered in front of me, as the light of the sakura buried me in its waves, sapping my powers even as I screamed. 

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!!!"

-

~Miaka~

"Juri-chan!!! Juri-chan!!!" I yelled, making my way back into Hotohori's garden, running as fast as I could. "Juri-chan, I found your lantern!!! I even lit the candle for you!! It's over here - OH!!" 

I stopped dead in my tracks, terrified by the sight before me.

The old man - Seiun-sama - was surrounded by a cyclone of sakura petals, completely drowning in their wrath. His body was bound by the storm as the energy tore into his body, a jagged scar across his chest, and started to drain off his life force. The energy from the attack looked like it came from CLAMPraven, who was still shuddering as the pink ki started to drain away from her body. It was a gruesome sight...blood spilled everywhere as the priest's scream pierced the sky...

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!!!"

Shocked and scared, I turned away from the sight...to face Juri.

"Oh, Juri-chan!!" I sobbed, clutching onto the smaller girl. "The blood...why did she..."

"Calm down, Miaka," Juri enveloped me in a hug, though her voice was quivering as well. "It's alright...sh...CLAMPraven should know what she's doing...everything's fine...did you get the lantern?"

I held up the metal object.

"Good..." Taking the lantern from my hands, she managed a reassuring smile. "Now I can finally help fight. But..." 

The red-eyed girl turned to the battle, where Seiun-sama was still being drained of his power, a worried expression on her face. "CLAMPraven!! Stop the storm! Hasn't it done enough?!"

"The old man is f*cking dying!" Tasuki growled, from where he stood next to the servant girl. "Turn the damn thing off!!"

"Please, stop it!! CLAMP-chan...our priest!!!" Taikou screamed desperately.

But CLAMPraven just stood there, frozen in place. As the last of the pink ki left her body, all she could do was stare. Her body was shaken, her breath ragged.

"That...that was...my best attack." She whispered, staring in horror at her creation. "It was...the only offensive attack I knew, aside from transforming into another creature...Taiitsu-kun...Taiitsu-kun taught it to me a long time ago. She said that...I was special, that I was the only one who could learn the Sakura Haruichiban, because of some mysterious force inside of me."

CLAMPraven shuddered again, taking a deep breath. 

"There...there is no way to stop the Sakura Haruichiban. Taiitsu-kun said...only a special force could stop it. Only...only my counterpart. Whatever that meant. There is no escape from the pink storm...before the hurricane can be calmed, the victim must be dead." She paused. "Torn to shreds. Drained of their power."

As Seiun-sama shrieked in pain, again and again, we stood in silence, shocked, as the Nyan-Nyan started to cry.

Likewise, I couldn't hold in my tears anymore. 

"What are we going to do?!? WE CAN'T JUST LET HIM DIE!!!!" I screamed, my eyes widening in hysteria. "Please, someone, anyone...tell me there's a way out of this!!!" I stared at my seishi, at Juri. "There has to be a cure...there has to be...STOP IT!!! PLEASE, SOMEONE...STOP IT!!!"

Juri turned away from me, unable to meet my gaze. The two monks stared at me in what seemed to be a deep sadness and pity. In a second, Tamahome was by my side...but even he couldn't stop my tears.

"Stop it...please...make it stop..." I sobbed, as my lover held me tighter in his arms.

This was greeted by the whooshing of the storm, and the sound of Seiun's life slowly ending. Then...

"Maybe there is a way."

I looked up from over Tamahome's shoulder. "N-Nani...?!"

-

~CLAMPraven~

Pausing in mid-sniff, I rubbed my tears out. "Who...?"

Taikou had said it. Furrowing his eyebrows, he turned to Enri. 

"Well, you heard what CLAMPraven-chan said. Even the great Taiitsu-kun told her that only her counterpart can reverse this effect. Believe it or not, I think I've read about this...the Sakura Haruichiban is an attack that is trademark of the Sakura Griffin. No one else can perform the attack, and only the oracle can stop it." His eyes held a mysterious glint. "And if CLAMPraven and Juri are what we think we are, then we've already found a solution to the problem." 

I blinked.

"What are you...talking about?"

-

~Enri~

I frowned, and considered what Taikou had said. "Yes, you're right...after so many reincarnations, and Juri and Yohko fighting out the Battles of Shin'ai over and over again, you can only assume that they can be considered counterparts. Do you mean that Juri can stop this?"

Taikou set a grim smile, turning to the Sakura Haruichiban. "Precisely."

"But it's harder than just that, Taikou!" I frowned, as another scream arose from the storm. "If we tell Juri and Yohko about the Battle of Shin'ai, they'll realize that they'd have to fight each other! It will completely ruin them! At least if this is kept under wraps, they have the chance that they'll live a normal life!"

"WOULD YOU RISK SEIUN-SAMA'S LIFE ON THAT?!?"

I was taken aback, stunned at the volume of Taikou's voice. "Sakurayume...some sacrifices we do have to make...and - "

"Nuh-uh!" He wagged a finger. "Just hear me out, alright?!"

"Tell me you're not going to rant at a time like this!!!" I eyed the storm anxiously. "We have to save our priest from certain death, and you plan to RANT?!?!"

The pink-haired monk sighed. "To make a long rant short - and you know I hate summaries - about all of this...if we tell them about their futures, they'll have more time to prepare for this influence on their lives. We'll manage to save Priest Seiun-sama, because I've had a look at that lantern Juri carries around, and she has something that'll do more than help us; she has Suzaku no Shichiseishi Chiriko's death candle! I've read somewhere that Chiriko's candle would allow her to summon any reference she needs. Any book, any scroll, whatever."

"Really?" I raised an eyebrow. This was actually starting to get somewhere...

Taikou nodded. "Once she gets the candle to work, she can summon a Koudoutai spell book, find the spell that she can use to stop the Sakura Haruichiban in time to save Seiun-sama, come to terms with the fact that she's the bloody red-eyed dark oracle, and perhaps even prevent the next Battle of Shin'ai."

His gaze hardened. "No one's future is set in stone. You've read CLAMPraven's mind; you'd know that she shares a very deep friendship with Juri. It's a bond that probably won't break anytime soon. Now, if she were to follow that friendship, rather than follow the laws that Hitori wants her to, she can still become the Sakura Griffin when Juri collects all four death candle...but instead of fighting against her friend, she can fight _for _her. 

"She can quit being Hitori's minion anytime she wants! The fact of the matter is that their combined strength ought to be enough to defeat the Tenbinza no Mikoto. Then Juri and Suzaku can love freely, Suzaku and Byakko can go back to the heavens, perhaps Hitori would even allow Akigo Kano, the Iteza no Mikoto, to go back to the heavens...and BAM! Free of problems."

I couldn't help but smirk. "This coming from someone who preaches under the Tenbinza?"

He glowered considerably. "Say the word 'blasphemy' and you die. So what do you think, huh? Did I make a point?"

I nodded firmly. "I didn't think you would, but you did. We should tell CLAMPraven and Juri and the others."

"Precisely."

"You go tell them."

An unusually large vein had begun popping on Taikou's forehead, but he approached Juri nonetheless. 

"So...what the hell was that all about?" SD Tasuki had little question marks floating above his head.

"Whatever you were talking about, it was confusing, no da," SD Chichiri agreed.

SD Irasa's yellow eyes glazed over, as she sat on the ground, as confused as everyone else...if not more. "Can't...read...so much talking...so much lip movement..."

Taikou shook his head. "Now is definitely not the time for joking around." 

His violet-pink eyes met red ones. "Juri, please listen. You must trust me...the pink candle with 'cho' marked on it, Chiriko's candle, has a special power to summon up any reference - any tankoubon, novel, scroll - of your choice. Now you might not understand this...heck, you don't even know my name yet, do you? But you have to get the candle to work! Summon up the largest Koudoutai spell book in this universe, and find the spell that will reverse this storm!" He was now shaking the girl by the shoulders desperately. "Onegai, Juri!!!"

Juri still looked confused, but nodded nonetheless. "O-Okay..."

Another scream tore from the storm. 

"Hurry!" Taikou pleaded. "I can barely feel Seiun-sama's life force anymore! The storm'll come after us as soon as it's done with him! Please, Juri...summon Chiriko's power!"

Clutching the lantern tighter, Juri nodded, staring once at her friends, then at me, and then at Suzaku, who even then was unconscious in Mitsukake's arms. Chiriko's candle sparkled in her grasp, as if alive and listening intently. Once again, she wore that strangely ancient expression. "Hai. I will try."

The pink-haired monk smiled.

Then to everyone's surprise, the oracle started bashing the lantern on the ground!

"Juri?!" Tamahome was shocked. "What are you doing?!?"

"You're going to wreck the lantern!!" Byakko's eyes were bulging at this.

But apparently, Juri paid no attention. "**DAMN **(CRASH) **YOU** (CRASH) **F*CKING **(CRASH) **CHO** (CRASH) **CANDLE **(CRASH) **RELEASE **(CRASH) **YOUR**(CRASH) **F*CKING **(CRASH) **POWER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**"

A few seconds passed with bated breath.

"N-N-NANI?!?" I blinked, nearly falling backwards. And I wasn't the only one. Stunned, disbelieving, and yet knowing it had to have been happening, we all stared in Juri's direction. 

Because it had worked. 

The lantern's aura had broken out into shattering light, the pink cho candle flaring brilliantly. Billowing wind flew past us in the anticipating silence...it even seemed as though the sakura haruichiban had stopped roaring...and brushed past strands of Juri's raven black hair. The red-eyed girl's voice rang out clear and true. 

"Find me the largest Koudoutai spell book in this world, so as I may complete my task...Cho candle..."

-

~Byakko~

As soon as Juri had demanded it, the ethereal light of the pink candle had started to take shape. It swirled around, flickering once, then twice, to the wind, and became solid. 

With a gratifying _thud_, a huge tankoubon landed squarely in Juri's free hand. An invisible hand turned the pages, to somewhere in the middle of the book, where, I guessed, the spell that she wanted would be. A small smile appeared on Juri's lips.

"Thank you."

And with that, the light instantly disappeared. 

Taikou was amazed. "I know that book...! It was one of the ones from our own library, in the Koudoutai shrine!" Turning to everyone else, he smiled his biggest, toothiest grin. "LOOK!!! SHE DID IT!!! Now we can save Seiun-sama!!" He turned to the storm. "Don't worry, Seiun-sama...we're getting you out!!"

Everyone sighed in relief, smiling along with him.

Except for Juri.

"Er...Byakko..." The little girl seemed to have turned red as she called me. "A little difficulty here..."

"Huh?" Tamahome asked. "What do you mean?"

I sighed, by myself, a second time, slapping my forehead, and instantly rushed to her side. _How could I forget?_ _She can't read ancient Chinese!!!_

My tiger eyes instantly scanned the page. "Hm...er, just say _Tenkei Juri no Saiai Shakuhou_, Juri."

Juri grinned sheepishly. "Right..."

Turning to the Sakura Haruichiban and Seiun-sama, with a glare befitting a heretic(...er, bad example...), Juri started to approach the storm. Raising one hand slowly as she walked, as if wielding an invisible sword, she began to chant her spell...

"_Tenkei...Juri...no...Saiai...Shakuhou!!!!!"_

Instantly, the ground ripped apart beneath her feet; soil tossed around her like a fierce tornado, until the air current carried her above the Sakura storm. Red rays of light slashed through the air. Raising her hands above her head, Juri's palm gathered the energy; united, the rays twisted and entwined, until they were one, a scarlet rapier of the darkness. 

Screaming fiercely, the oracle dove in for the kill...her sword connected with the storm, ripping it to shreds. The tearing of the Sakura Haruichiban's womb was like a gunshot; instantly, the pink cherry blossoms disappeared into oblivion, releasing the near-dead priest, drained of his power...the scarlet rapier and the rest of Juri's power also vaporized, as the girl, powerless to stop her fall, crashed to the ground, falling, falling...

* * *

_Priest Seiun-sama, though severely cut, was not fatally injured. Neither was Suzaku, who had to endure the Koudoutai no Inferuno Yo earlier. Juri, in her effort, had fallen to the ground, bashing her arm's length as well as her forehead. Both Suzaku and the girl had to be taken in to see doctors, as the Shichiseishi's powers were all taken by Hitori before...including the healer Mitsukake's. Fortunately, Seiun-sama, having immense power in his veins, had managed to regain consciousness..._

_Soon, night washed out the brighter skies. In the Koudoutai shrine, a quiet conversation was held..._

* * *

~Seiun~

"Hm...must've been the most powerful attack I've seen in ages," I muttered, twisting my head in bed to watch Enri prepare the tea. "Really underestimated the girl, I suppose...hm..."

"Try not to twist in bed, Seiun-sama," Taikou warned me. "You've still got some stitches in you." He walked over, examining my foot. "You may be powerful, but you're not invincible. We're not sure if you have any internal bleeding, either...I guess the casts we put in would have to do, until we find some sort of spell to fix it."

I huffed disdainfully. "Hm! Give me a rant any day..."

The pink-haired monk shook his head with a small, sad smile, but said nothing.

I pouted, wishing that my beard wasn't so shaggy, that it blocked out the expression. Taikou was right. Every bone in my body ached from the attack; My casts made it impossible for my arms to move, I had enough stitches in me to make clothes for the entire harem, and I damn right wasn't happy about it. Emperor Hotohori's doctors told me I'd be out of bed in a week. Psht. I could probably die here, if I wanted to. But I still had a few more things to do. One of them happened to be an apology to Juri and CLAMPraven...

"Hm! I still can't believe that CLAMPraven Nyan-Nyan is Yohko, the Sakura Griffin," I remarked to no one in particular.

Enri poured the dark tea as he spoke. "She performed the Sakura Haruichiban. That's proof, isn't it? No one else can do that attack except the Sakura Griffin. You should know, Seiun-sama. And now that we have also seen Juri's attack, we know exactly who the next Battle of Shin'ai will involve." He passed a cup to Taikou. "And now that everyone knows that we're keeping something from Juri and CLAMPraven, you can expect a confession soon."

I tasted the tea, with help from Taikou, and grimaced. "What's in this stuff, hm?!"

Taikou immediately put the cup away. I sighed.

"Hm...yep, there will be a confession soon. Juri and Yohko...er, CLAMPraven, deserve to know about the Battle of Shin'ai, and their destinies. Hm! But now, I won't kill Juri...now that I know they are friends, perhaps there is hope that their futures aren't going to be marked in stone. Maybe...just maybe...the two gods left in heaven will have mercy. Hm, that makes for one hard confession. The second would be about the red-eyed animals Juri seems to attract, hm! I'll have to tell her to stay clear of omens like those, even if that isn't possible. Hm. And there's a third confession, too, to make to her...now that there are only 2 gods in heaven, everything that can go berserk, will go berserk. Hm!"

Then, as if on cue, lightning flashed in the distance, shattering the sky.

I narrowed my eyes. "Hm...I sense some stormy days coming..."

Taikou was equally distressed. "Well...er...at least there won't be another confession...will there? Enri, pass the tea..."

The white-haired monk raised a slim eyebrow, as he passed another cup. "You _like_ this stuff?"

Shrugging, Taikou downed it in one gulp, tea leaves and all. "I'm thirsty." Then, "What?!"

"Nothing..."

"Hm. But there will be a fourth confession."

Both monks turned to me. "What...?"

I frowned, my face silhouetted by the darkening sky. The usual 'hm's' in my words were gone. "I've never told you why the Koudoutai Inferno was purple, did I?

"That's because it's not real fire. When I aimed the attack at Juri, I didn't expect Suzaku to intercept it. The Koudoutai Inferno is purely a mind wave, designed to distort the senses. It is confusing to use, and even more dangerous to be hit with. It's more painful than a real inferno, because it has more devastating effects...sometimes, it permanently damages your psyche...perhaps even makes you lose your memory..."

-

~Byakko~

Suzaku's awake...! I thought to myself happily, as I opened the door to his chamber.

The redheaded ex-god was sitting upright in the blackened room, a somewhat dazed look on his face. He didn't notice me come in...his eyes were concentrating on the rain outside, that splashed up against the window. As I came closer, he turned to stare at me with wide, innocent eyes.

"Suzaku...you're awake..." I smiled in the darkness of the room.

For a while, he just stared at me with those beautiful eyes. Then...

"Who are you?"

I froze, taken aback. "N-Nani...?!?"

He turned back to the window, where another flash of lightning cut through the black clouds. From his reflection in the glass, I could see a childish smile. "You wouldn't happen to know what those are, would you? They're beautiful, aren't they...?"

* * *

Yes...the deadly use of a cliffhanger, when there are no more words to be said...

Now, for a translation of everything! From my sources, I picked out some attack names. 'Inferuno' obviously means inferno, and 'haruichiban' means the first storm of spring. Fitting, I think. 'Tenkei' is a divine oracle, 'saiai' means beloved, and 'shakuhou' means freedom. Anything else can be asked in the form of a review. And, yes, Juri can't read ancient Chinese. Just because Suzaku set up the language program for her at the beginning, doesn't mean that she is literate in it. 

And as a side note, NO YOU MAY NOT HAVE MY KOUDOUTAI MONKS, OTAKU PITCHER!!! I'm really not allowed to give them away. (scratches head) But you can have old Seiun-sama if you want. Teehee...

(rubs hands together) And that reminds me. I still have to do that experiment I told you about earlier. (smirks evilly) And won't Byakko and Suzaku be surprised.

Hm...why do I get the feeling they're up to no good?

(Meanwhile, a few dimensions away...)

_Suzaku: Heheheheh...now that we've removed the trailer, the explosives shouldn't take long to unearth. Watase-sama?! You can start now!!_

(perched in the driver's seat of a bulldozer is a very happy-looking mangaka.)

_Watase-sama: READY!!! (thumbs up) And don't forget, tell CLAMPraven not to torture my characters!! (grins) She's not doing it right!!! (starts machine)_

(From a distance, the Shichiseishi shudder...)

(And so, the mindsweeping begins!!!)

-CLAMPraven 


	28. Forbidden Love in the Eyes of Stars' Cl...

**"Juri"**

**-from girl to oracle-**

**By CLAMPraven**

* * *

~ Forbidden Love in the Eyes of Stars ~

Part 27 of the Legend of Juri - Clarifications

* * *

There are so many things to do with this story now, I'm feeling a bit woozy...so I decided to make a checklist!

(Whips out paper) 1. Reintroduce Hitori and Kano back into the story. Everyone is on the verge of forgetting that they exist.

2. Finish off the damn confessions. There's enough plot twists without that.

3. On that same note, STOP MAKING THE F*CKING PLOT TWISTS!!!

4. Tasuki/CLAMPraven connection and Taikou/CLAMPraven connections must be reinstated. Over. And. Over. So that people have it drilled in their heads that CLAMPraven likes Taikou and Tasuki likes her.

(That was for Otaku Pitcher, by the way...)

5. Somehow, someway, kill at least three more characters and end some of the complications.

6. But before killing any characters, make sure that at least one of them gets to be a part of a shounen-ai relationship, so as their incredibly tragic and drool-worthy death can squeeze a few tears out of the very sentimental reviewers. ^______^

7. Keep the damn capitalization constant. If you're putting down 'Battle of Shin'ai', don't change it to 'battle of Shin'ai the next second. (Already had to go back and correct three chapters...)

8. And last but not least, get Irasa some powers or something. The girl doesn't do well as an ornament; whether she has snake fangs (& eyes) or not isn't exactly doing anything for her...

Hm. Okay...I guess that's it. Oh! And another thing...(takes out pen)..."9. Find Suzaku and Byakko. They've been missing for a few author's notes already, and that is clearly not a good sign..." There! Now, back to my experiment...(pulls out goggles)...time to drill this machine in place. Soon, I will extend my wrath out to that which everyone fears most...

(Meanwhile...)

Suzaku: (looks down into very large hole) Neh...Watase-sama, I don't see anything...

Watase-sama: (a little pissed off) We've been digging for a whole author's note now! (sighs) I need a lunch break...

Byakko: (looks down also; his tiger eyes are glowing) Hm...I guess you guys didn't notice that can of radioactive junk down there...(points)

Suzaku: (blinks) (jumps down into hole) (picks up the can and notices that there are more explosives underneath his feet) By god, Byakko...how the hell did you know?!

Byakko: (jumps down the hole also) (scratches head sheepishly) Well...ehehehe...(sweatdrops)

Watase-sama: (from the bulldozer) Lets just say that there are certain advantages to having 1/20 tiger vision, Suzaku-chan.

Suzaku: Hm...yes, well...now all we have to do is collect all this nuclear crap. Watase-sama, go grab yourself a beer...

-CLAMPraven 

* * *

~Hitori~

In the darkness of my Castle Satanica, there is a mild, forlorn smile...

"So...now Suzaku has lost his memories," I mused out loud, to the glowing souls in the cage as I sat on my throne. The creatures that were minions of the ex-phoenix god, now just specks of butterfly-shaped light, had long given up on bashing against the bars of their trap. Now, they lay on the floor of their containment, helpless to free themselves and exhausted from their efforts. 

I had found out about Suzaku's injury by the Koudoutai no Inferuno Yo through Suzaku's television set. It's really quite useful, and has better reception than my magic mirror. Although why he programmed all those hentai buttons on the remote is beyond me...but to be certain, they did keep me entertained. You'd never know how flexible the human body is until you've seen them. In any case... 

I shook my head. "This is nearly too good to be true. This is such a most positive disaster...perhaps this is the twist of fate that might even save Suzaku and Juri's lives."

The light butterflies stirred at my voice. 

"If the ex-god's amnesia proves to be permanent, and everything plays along from there, then my job is already over," I continued, twiddling my thumbs. "It would be hard for him to try and love Juri all over again. By the time it happens, she might already be too distraught to continue her disobedience against me. With no relationship between immortal and mortal threatening the Universe of the four gods, the little red-eyed girl can go back on my good list, and the problem would be solved. Aside from her previous love for Suzaku, I really have nothing against her. I can release these souls, give back Suzaku's godliness, and resume peace in Konan..."

"But you don't know if that's going to happen, do you?"

Frowning, I turned my head in the direction of the voice. "This is none of your concern, Aya. Leave me be."

Standing next to my throne, dressed in royal garbs of white and creamy yellow that drifted across the room, adorned with gold and silver all over his lithe body, a smile curved on his lips, was the Otomeza no Mikoto. Motoyuri Aya. Though every bit as male as I was, his beauty and grace far surpassed that of any other immortal...from a distance, he resembled, all too accurately, the Suzaku seishi Nuriko, just as I resembled the Seiryuu seishi Nakago, though both of us are slightly more feminine and resembling children. 

This was a trend seen in most of the Mikotos...they were also free to change their appearance, as well, from time to time. But this was definitely a look that suited Aya. In my eyes, he may not be as delectable as Kano was, but damn close. This fact, however, remains unspoken...for my own dignity, of course.

His long purple braid swayed from side to side with invisible wind teasingly as he giggled, rubbing underneath one eye where a small mole was situated. "Ne, Hitori, how do you know their love won't survive? Amnesia is only a phase, you know..."

"Not always," I grunted, getting out of my seat and reaching for my mace. "Do you mind? I've already had the infamous honour of banishing both Byakko and Suzaku; it would not be wise to irritate me again today..." 

Aya winked mischievously, wagging his finger. "Nuh uh! Silly Hitori-chan! You can't do that unless I've committed a crime!"

I narrowed my icy eyes. "Oh, you think?"

"Aw, come on! Hitori, I honestly don't think you should plot against Suzaku and Juri! They're such a cute couple and all...and this isn't biased, either! Just because I'm the Mikoto of love...and besides, they need all the support they can get, whether they know it or not! Sometimes I wish I could appear to them, and maybe even -"

"Continue that sentence and you'd be crossing the line. Don't betray the Koudoutai, Aya. If you were to stand up for their cause, I would have to fight yet another war...with you."

This made the Otomeza no Mikoto smile. Except now, the grin is played out mysteriously across his face, an expression that reflected nothing, an expression that hid his true thoughts. With this gorgeous fake smile, so fragile it would shatter at the touch, he shook his head. 

"No...I wouldn't dream of disagreeing with you, Hitori. Your powers exceed so much farther beyond mine...I'd be crazy to fight you!"

My gaze softened into one of reluctance. "...I can see it when you are being fake. Aya...I don't want to banish you. As much as it may seem like a hobby of mine, I don't like banishing. You are a fellow Mikoto, and though we disagree, I do appreciate your being here. And you would know that, wouldn't you? You remember the days after the first Battle of Shin'ai, when Kano used all his power to allow Juri and Yohko to be reborn, over and over. You remember that I had to banish him."

By this time, I had already walked off the throne, closer and closer to Aya. One hand found its way to his shoulder...

"And while everyone else thought I was sick, in the days after that banishment, you...you were the only one who knew it wasn't that. You were the only one who guessed it had something to do with Kano..."

His dark, painted smile drooped slightly. "Yes. I remember what I had said. I said, 'maybe it was because Kano and Hitori were closer than they appeared to be.' You never told me how close you two were, though, so I didn't know I was right."

His words tugged at my heart. /Kano.../

"How close were you to Kano, Hitori-chan?"

Forcing back tears before he could see them, I turned away, wishing he would just disappear. "We...we were friends. Best friends. Nothing more than that, of course. You were right. Now you...know. Er...moving on, you might also be interested in knowing that another red-eyed animal of Juri's is nearing them. It should be on imperial grounds already...the animal should reach its prey by tonight. That is to say, another one of the Shichiseishi will die soon, and another candle will appear..." My words flowed like a river...soon, my subconscious mind took over...I wasn't even listening to what I said. 

In my mind, I was crying. Crying...

-

~Aya~

I half listened to what Hitori was saying. I knew he wasn't listening to himself, so I figured, what was the use?

_You can't hide anything, Hitori..._

Ever since Kano's banishment, I had known how Hitori really felt for him. I was the Mikoto of Love, and I knew feelings for men when I see them. I never told anyone, because...Hitori was so beautiful. I couldn't bring myself to hurt him, in any way. And I wasn't in the mood to break anyone's relationship apart, either. I never was. 

Hitori felt so much more for Kano than simple friendship...so much more...

_I know you love him, Hitori...but what does that mean, when you can't confide in me? When I can't muster the nerve to comfort you? Nowadays, you go on about the indecency of love between mortal and immortal. You've given up on hope, haven't you...?_

I'm sure Kano was somewhere in the dark, now...somewhere where he wasn't allowed to return. But if he ever did, what would he think of Hitori now? Would he still love him? Or would the new Hitori hurt him, more than he had been hurt already? 

I was once Kano's friend...he always believed in hope, believed in love. That is why people found him so attractive. He would always keep himself lit with the passion that once filled him in the days when he was still godly, even if all he is now is a youma.

I narrowed my eyes, as I focused on the Tenbinza no Mikoto before me. 

_Perhaps he still believed in love...?_

I refused to take no for an answer. 

Turning my head, as Hitori continued talking on, I looked at the TV that I recognized to be Suzaku's. On the screen, it showed nighttime. It showed Byakko in bed, an anxious expression on his face. I had sensed a while ago, using my own magic, that Suzaku had gotten amnesia and the ex-tiger god had found out. No wonder he looked so upset, even in sleep. He had to tell everyone else in the morning. 

But that wasn't the only bad news. That Seiun-sama still hadn't told everyone abut the Battle of Shin'ai legend! And from what Hitori had been saying, there's a new red-eyed animal near the palace, and the Suzaku seishi are in danger...

I frowned. 

_Save Suzaku and Juri now, and perhaps Hitori will come out with his secret later...to everyone..._

Without another word to Hitori, I teleported away.

_I'll make preparations for tonight, to show myself in the Koudoutai Shrine..._

-

~Genbu~

My eyebrow twitched (technically, turtles didn't have eyebrows, but what the hell...) as I felt the powers of the Koudoutai wavering. A Mikoto had just traveled down to earth...Otomeza, I think. Wonder what he's trying to pull?

(BOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!)

Muttering a few curses, I reached for the remote for the stereos, determined to block out the noise of Seiryuu's havoc. Darn this noise...I already had hearing aids!

Seiryuu had been like this ever since Byakko left. He was throwing thunder and floods left and right, all throughout the Universe of the four gods, except for Kutou and especially at Konan, just for the sake of it. If Suzaku and Byakko were still here, they'd tear him apart for what he's doing. But they're not...and I'm not about to defy Seiryuu just yet. I couldn't stop him...I was too old to make an impact on him, but I did keep him away from Hotohori's palace. They had enough to deal with as it was. 

Who knew what Seiryuu had in mind for them? Darn dragon doesn't even know the importance of peace and quiet. After living for as long as I -

"WHOO ~ HOO!!!!! BURN, BABY, BURN!!!!"

I twitched, a large vein popping on my forehead. "SEIRYUU?!? DID YOU JUST SET A FIRE IN **MY HOKKAN?!?**"

No answer. 

Er...except screams of torture amplified by Seiryuu's programs, and his maniacal laughter. But aside...

I sweared indiscernibly for about a minute. Switching on the stereos with a grunt, I turned the sound of Madonna's 'Beautiful Stranger' up to maximum volume, and drowned in it, praying to Watase-sama that the blue dragon would stop destroying everything as soon as possible. I would've crossed my fingers, except that they were too short.

-

~Mitsukake~

The morning dew glistened in dawning sunlight, as birds sang across the imperial palace...

We were all gathered around the table, sitting in chairs and eating breakfast, chatting away...well, almost all of us. Byakko hadn't woken up just yet, and the Koudoutai monks were still in preparation, to tell us something important. 

They wouldn't tell me what it was specifically, but when I asked them, the youngest one, with strange pink hair, informed me that it would clear up everything that is happening and why. Directly after telling me that, he shot me a glare, then started ranting - loudly, I might add - about how rude it was to stare at another person's hair color, before being dragged off by a his very embarrassed white-haired companion, Enri. 

Admittedly, I guess I did find it _peculiar_...

Anyhow, I sent them back to their quarters in the Koudoutai shrine that night, after taking another look at Seiun's injuries. I was still disappointed that I couldn't heal their master...or anyone else, for that matter. The sight of Suzaku and Juri hurt was painful for me to watch, and even the normally tough CLAMPraven is morally wounded, something I couldn't heal even if I did have my seishi powers. I went back and forth between their sleeping quarters last night, until I saw Byakko come out of Suzaku's room, with news that shocked me immensely.

I could still remember those words...

_"Suzaku...he...he can't remember anything...!! HE CAN'T REMEMBER!!!"_

_"Calm down! What's going on?"_

Tears had ran down his face like rain, his eyes wild and frantic.

_"He...he's lost his memory! Mitsukake...he's lost his memory...he doesn't even recognize me, doesn't even know what the thunder and lightning is called...!! ...What are we going to do...?! Suzaku..."_

_"What...? Amnesia...?!"_

Byakko was shattered, clinging on to me, sobbing...

_"Suzaku..."_

"What are we going to tell them?"

"Huh?" Snapping out of my daydream, I turned to see Byakko standing next to my chair. His eyes were bloodshot, his cheek imprinted with the pattern of the coarse bed sheets. His limp white hair scattered around his shoulders messily...and was his shirt on backwards?

"I didn't sleep too well," he explained in a hoarse voice, seeing my worry.

"I...see..." I couldn't help but stare at him. Had he been crying all night?

Reaching out to pet Tama-neko, Byakko sighed. "We'll have to tell them. I'm surprised no one else found out already. Even the servants and maids hadn't realized it. Juri had hunted me down and asked me already four times this morning...despite her injuries, she was really worried about Suzaku. I locked the doors to his chambers, to keep her out and save her from finding it out...it only made her more suspicious. But she told me that it was okay, that I was probably trying to keep her from seeing something she might not want to see. She told me that...!"

He stifled a sniff. "The news is going to break her, Mitsukake. And I guess it's really up to me to tell them...even though hurting Juri and everyone else is the last thing I want to do right now. Seiun already has an announcement that may break them...he told me about it earlier today."

"What's it about?" I asked, trying not to sound too curious.

"You wouldn't understand unless they told you, trust me." The ex-god's eyes lit up with mystery. "It's something I remember from a long time ago, right when the gods were first created. It was called the Battle of Shin'ai, and I'm pretty sure you haven't heard of it, but it has to do with Juri and CLAMPraven." He paused. "God, if I had known that _that_ had anything to do with this..."

The conversation simmered around us...

Confused, I opened my mouth to ask him, then closed it again as Seiun and the two other monks arrived. There was a flourish of greetings all around the table at their presence.

"Ohayo, Seiun-sama," Juri smiled at the three of them, as Seiun fumbled with his crutches to sit down and as the two younger monks took the chairs next to him. "Wow...when you told me your Koudoutai powers could heal you faster than normal people, I didn't expect you to be walking around the very next day!"

The priest chuckled. "Hm...you sure do know how to flatter an old man! But I'm not invincible; there is still much healing to be done, as you can see. And you don't look so good yourself, hm!"

Sweatdropping, Juri scratched the back of her head, near the ring where the bloodied bandages were bound tightly to her head. "Ehehehe...I'll live..."

"Damn, though...we thought for sure you'd be dead!" Tasuki commented.

"He's right," Tamahome nodded. "When we saw you in the middle of that storm, it seemed almost like a lost cause..."

"Not even an attack of those proportions could kill me, hm!" He turned to CLAMPraven, who was eying the floor nervously. "And you, young lady, are an exceptional fighter. Hm...I wasn't surprised you felt the need to use the Sakura Haruichiban. I must say, gut instinct can prove to be an excellent resort, when dealing with an angry priest, hm!" Seiun bowed his head. "Although you probably feel the need to apologize for what you did, it's actually the other way around."

CLAMPraven blinked, looking up. "Huh?!"

Seiun allowed himself a brief smile before continuing. "It was my mistake in the beginning. I immediately thought I had to kill Juri...I'm sorry about that as well," he glanced at Juri, who was listening intently also. "Hm. I had thought there was no hope for keeping the dark oracle alive, especially since the legend of the Battle of Shin'ai was practically written in stone..."

"Shin'ai..." I glanced sideways at Byakko, who nodded. 

"Hm. But I was wrong! You, CLAMPraven...or should I say, Yohko..." he paused as CLAMPraven gasped, "...had become Juri's friend. Hm! And what is more, you were willing to use the deadly Sakura Haruichiban to defend her. That was a mark of true friendship...which took me by surprise. 

"It wasn't just a small friendship...hm, why, it would be a downright shame to call it that! The bonds that you share are deep. I have a feeling destiny will bend, for the sake of these bonds...I believe in you, and wouldn't it be a shame to kill innocent girls when they have a chance of finding peace, even if their fates are grave, hm? Which is why I will spare both of you...until the ultimate battle, that is, which shall test your loyalties.

"Now, I can see that you are all confused," he added, noticing the clueless expression on all of our faces, even mine. "Hm. I was never good at explanations. Which is why it would be easier if Enri took over, hm?"

Clearing his throat, the white-haired monk stood up from his seat. His eyes glittered starry violet. "Everyone. Listen, and listen carefully. I can repeat it for Juri if she wants, but only because - "

"She's a girl?" Taikou ventured. "And you're a feminist?"

"NO...because she's hit her head, teme..."

"Oh, yeah...HEY!!!"

"Urg..." Shaking his head, Enri cleared his throat again, louder and more forceful this time. "Please excuse the pink-haired doofus. With that said, I shall now go on to explain the legend. 

"Some of you will hate it, some of you will be confused, and some of you will be shocked. But one thing is for certain. This is something all of you need to hear, so pay close attention...especially you two, Juri and Yohko. 

"This is the formula of your life, how your fate repeats its monody...your destinies, over centuries old...

"The Battle of Shin'ai..."

-

~CLAMPraven~

When it was all over, and Enri had ended his last sentence, there was not a single sound in the room. There was no clapping, no whistling, no swearing, and no protest. The silence was everywhere, and everyone was a part of it.

Everyone's too stunned to say anything... I thought nervously, glancing around.

The white-haired monk quietly sank back into his seat. Frowning, I broke the silence.

"So what you're saying is that Juri and I are reincarnations, thousands of years old, connected by some sort of spell that the Iteza no Mikoto performed, who are destined to fight the same stupid war over and over and over until the end of the universe?" I asked dubiously.

Taikou shrugged. "Well, that's about it, CLAMP-chan."

"But you also said that Yohko...er, CLAMPraven, is one of Hitori's minions," Miaka pointed out. 

"And that is exactly the point that Seiun-sama is trying to prove," the pink-haired monk nodded. "In this life, CLAMP-chan isn't one of Hitori's minions. She came from another world...Juri's world, from what Enri's been telling me, and she didn't even know the Tenbinza no Mikoto up until recently. And Hitori doesn't even seem to express any interest in her. 

"Now, that could be just because she hasn't gotten the Sakura Griffin morph yet, and he's waiting until she does to convert her to his side, but it could also be because she's a lost cause to him. Maybe in this life, Hitori knows he can't sway her to fight for anything but our side. Doesn't that sound like the Sakura Griffin and Juri can work together this time around? Er..." Taikou slammed his mouth shut, seeing Enri and Seiun's glares. "And before the other monks can kill me, I think I'll stop ranting now...yeah..."

Chichiri stared at Seiun. "Does he do this often, no da?"

Seiun wore a tired expression. "We wouldn't shut him up this quickly unless he did."

The blue-haired monk was still doubtful. "I have another question, na no da. Didn't you mention something about the red-eyed animals we keep seeing, no da?"

"Technically, those are Juri's beasts," Enri replied. "Juri's powers associate with death, disease, and demons. The 'd's are just a coincidence. Whether she's aware of it or not, demons of the underworld are naturally attracted to her, and they are constantly drawn to wherever she may go. These demons are always in the form of animals, and they always have red eyes. They are terrible omens...the first mortal to touch them always dies. Except Juri herself, of course. After they set one curse, however, they usually calm down and settle with just being near their power source, namely, the oracle."

"The first person to touch them...dies?" I whispered.

Hotohori frowned. "So that was what caused all those deaths. The curse of the red-eyed beasts."

"Then..." Mitsukake strung the information together. "Wait...now I remember. After everyone allowed Juri to keep her dog, Chiriko-chan, Nuriko was the first to fix the dog's leash. He must've touched it. That would explain him. And Chiriko..."

"Chiriko...was holding a white rabbit." Juri murmured. Her voice was trembling, as the realization dawned on her features. "On the night of Hitori's attack, Chiriko was holding a silvery-white rabbit...with red...red eyes. That's why he had to die...why both he and Nuriko had to die. It was no coincidence..."

She looked around at the rest of the table. "Those eyes...why didn't I recognize them? How could I have let them touch my friends? But Chiriko-chan...he seemed so gentle..."

My face contorted. F*ck...is the damn girl blaming herself again?

Muttering a few curses, I put a reassuring Nyan-Nyan-sized hand on her shoulder. "Not your fault, Juri. You didn't even know you were this f*cking reincarnation of some other oracle a few good thousand years ago. And those damn demons are just wolves in sheep's clothing. So quit putting yourself down."

Juri calmed down a little with my smile, but was still confused. "But I still don't understand. Why did Chiriko-chan fight for me when Hitori attacked us?" 

"Hm. That's easy to figure out!" Seiun grunted. "The dog demon needed your energy, and so it needed you alive. Hm! It only battled against Hitori for you because he was trying to take away your life, the one power source the demon depended on." 

"I guess I can understand that..." Her red eyes focused on me now. "CLAMPraven?"

I shrugged, staring back at her with cerulean and turquoise eyes. "Well, shit, I really couldn't care much less about this, Juri, to tell you the truth. 

"I mean, the next Battle of Shin'ai will come soon. As soon as you find your four candles for that lantern of yours, the war will start. Hitori's ruthless, and from what we've seen of his anger last time, he would try and defeat you at all costs. We'd even have to face the danger of fighting one another if things get really out of control...

"But I'm not concerned." I furrowed my eyebrows. "The Juri and Yohko that we descended from are not the people that we are today. Their standards are not what we live by now; we shouldn't base our destiny on theirs. We're different than they are...we're friends now! Nothing can break that. I've been risking my ass for you as long as I could remember, and that's a record I won't soon forget. You owe me! And at the same time, we have to remember that our loyalty is stronger than the space and stars...we won't hesitate to break rules if you fight alongside me!"

Red eyes widened. "You mean that?"

I nodded. 

She grinned. "CLAMPraven, you can motivate anybody...I wish I had as much faith as that."

Winking, I hugged her. "You do!"

Everyone else seemed to be cheered up by this, and enthusiastic clapping can be heard by Taikou (who, apparently, knew a good rant when he heard one). But out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw Byakko's eyes glint with sorrow. 

What the...?

Letting go of Juri, I turned to face the white-haired ex-god. "Something wrong, Byakko?"

"That's right...I believe he also has something to tell us," Hotohori recalled. "Go ahead."

Casting one nervous glance in Mitsukake's direction, Byakko stood up. His expression was a pained one, and his eyes were glistening with what seemed to be tears.

"Suzaku had been in a coma all last night; I'm sure you were all concerned about him, especially Juri, when I checked up on him last night and decided it would have been best to shut his chambers off from everyone else."

Juri raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you do that because you don't want us crying over his condition?"

He shook his head, burying his expression in locks of silver hair. "That, yes. But you'll do more than cry over his condition when you see him now.

"Truth be told, I had kept something very important away from you all. I apologize. But at first, I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do. I guess it would be best if you knew now, that Suzaku..." This was followed by a sob, barely audible. "I'm...I'm sorry...er..."

Near me, Juri gasped. "He's crying...Byakko, what happened to Suzaku, damn it?! Come out with it already!!"

Frightened, Miaka glanced at Seiun. "You were the one who fired the Koudoutai Inferno at Suzaku. Do you know about this?"

The elderly monk's expression was unreadable. "Hm...I might. Finish your statement, Byakko."

Turning away from us altogether, so that we could only see his back and he didn't have to look at our faces, Byakko did just that. 

"Suzaku has amnesia. Forgive me for not saying this sooner."

-

~Jenny~

I burst into the room, furious and disbelieving. "**SUZAKU!!!!**"

My beloved redhead was curled up in bed, sheets tumbled around his body, gaping at me. He said not one word to me. As I stood there, panting from the effort it took me and CLAMPraven to break down the doors, glaring and shaking my head, trying to deny it, he could only stare in fear. 

I could feel CLAMPraven's presence beside me. The Nyan-Nyan was enraged. "So this is what he's been reduced to." 

Everyone else was at the doorway. As I glanced back, I saw Miaka and Byakko doing their best to keep everyone else away. I turned back ahead, livid. This wasn't happening. Why was this happening?

Is my love gone...? Is Suzaku...really still here?

Traumatized and still not willing to accept it, I limped, slowly, tentatively, to the bed. Suzaku stared at me with wide innocent eyes, as I touched a lock of his silky hair, biting my lip to hold back tears. Though he was crouching on his bed, he was still taller than I was, even though his expression was that of a child. He was still angelic, though...and still stunningly beautiful...but...

Caressing his hair, I was on the verge of tears, again like many times before, but this time significant. "Su...Suzaku...?"

He smiled. My heart relaxed a little. 

Then...

"So that's my name, right?"

I stared, stuuned. "W-What...?"

He reached out one slim, pale hand to touch my face, a childish grin on his face. Even his touch felt colder, and forlorn. "So that's my name. Suzaku. It has a nice ring to it. And who are you and all your friends? There's so much I don't know..."

I was frozen, staring at him. "Suzaku...you used to love me...you used to - "

"'Love'...? What's 'love'?"

This was the last blow. 

He really doesn't remember anything...he doesn't even remember himself...or me...

And he...

He doesn't remember love...

At a lack for words, and shattered beyond repair, I did the only thing I could muster to do.

Collapsing in Suzaku's arms, I sobbed violently, to his confusion. 

"Suzaku..._Suzaku!!!_"

All around me, the world disappeared in flashes of acid rain...

* * *

NO!!! Damn...chapter...too...long!!!!

No author's note from me, damn it!! I've already got enough on my hands!!! The antennae on the machine broke twice today, and I still have to find Suzaku and Byakko!!! URG...

(Meanwhile...)

_Suzaku: (Stares proudly at a whole mountain of explosives, reaching up above the clouds) So this is the loot that you've been stashing away from us, Byakko! Damn, and this is only half of what CLAMPraven has!!!_

_Byakko: (Stares up also) Are you sure you want to storm down CLAMPraven's arsenal with this, Suzaku? I mean, it's an act of violence, and we could just threaten her without actually meaning it - _

_Suzaku: SHUT UP!!! This...is our moment of GLORY!!!_

(SFX: thunder strikes)

_Suzaku: (clears throat) Now, all we need is a scout, to sneak into enemy territory and find out just what the hell CLAMP-demon is really up to! (narrows eyes evilly) And I think I know just who to assign..._

-CLAMPraven 


	29. Forbidden Love in the Eyes of Stars' Di...

**"Juri"**

**-from girl to oracle-**

**By CLAMPraven**

* * *

~ Forbidden Love in the Eyes of Stars ~

Part 28 of the Legend of Juri - Discussion

* * *

(Retrieving her manuals from above the desk in her office, CLAMPraven adds the final touches to her masterpiece.)

(screws in last screw) There! (wipes forehead off) Phew...that was a lot of work...BUT NOW IT'S COMPLETE!!! MUAHAHAHAHA!!!!

(Underneath the desk, however, hid a very nervous monk...)

_Chichiri: (hissing through walkie-talkie) I still can't believe you're making me do this, no da!! Spying on CLAMPraven is suicide, na no da!!!_

(On the other end of the line...)

_Suzaku: It's only for a moment, Chichiri! And think about it. You're SD, she can't sense your powers in particular, and you can teleport out of there whenever you want. Listen...the cast of Juri are all setting up the explosives. As soon as we hear from you just what she's up to, we can devise a plan of attack, and you can do whatever your little heart desires. But right now, if you don't stay put, I'm going to wring your f*cking neck!!! And - HEY!!!! Byakko!!!! STOP TRYING TO SELL EXPLOSIVES TO DRACONSIS!!! YOU -_

(Chichiri turns off the walkie-talkie in irritation.)

_Chichiri: Yeah, whatever, no da. Suzaku owns me big..._

(The blue-haired monk looks up from underneath the desk, waiting anxiously. He saw CLAMPraven walking to the cupboard...)

Well, at least the whole construction period went well. Ho hum. I guess it's time to make the typical villain speech about every detail in my work, so if some damn spy was here, they'd hear it...damn cliches...

(From underneath the table, Chichiri gulps.)

(takes out a package of instant noodles from the cupboard) Thank god I used Suzaku's amnesia as inspiration for this piece of work. It's the whole basis in my machine! Now, I can utilize this little stroke of genius for (drumroll) WORLD DOMINATION!!! 

(CLAMPraven's stomach growls loudly)

Damn you...stop interrupting!!! The instant noodles will come in a minute!!!! ANYWAY. Soon, my machine will send out catastrophic brain waves into the real world...but not to just everybody. No...that would be too easy. I had already located every single white chocolate manufacturing company on the planet Earth, and every single one that might exist elsewhere. Soon, I will pinpoint my brain waves machine to fire into their headquarters, targeting their owners in particular, giving all of them amnesia! A few legal documents here, a few illegal documents there...after negotiations with the owners of the white chocolate factories, who would then be brain dead, I will own every single white chocolate factory in the WORLD!!! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! (snaps fingers) Nyan-Nyan!

(A small Nyan-Nyan hops into the room, smiles graciously, and takes CLAMPraven's package of instant noodles to the kitchen...)

Arigatou! Ahh...it's nice not to cook. And once I gain control of all the white chocolate in the world, I can become an even bigger akuma than I was in Chapter 20/Part 19, in the first author's note!! (evil smirk) Then Suzaku would never, ever, defy me, ever again!!!! Heheheheheheh....

_Chichiri: (eyes bug out of skull)..............................._

-CLAMPraven 

* * *

~Tasuki~

I leaned against the doorway, staring in worriedly despite myself. 

Juri was still asleep...she cried and sobbed and scream until she had no more tears to cry; now she lay in a deep slumber in Suzaku's arms. The redheaded ex-god was cradling her gently, like a baby, the only way he knew how...his gaze fell upon her softly, like the gentle light of the moon, an innocent gaze that meant nothing more than simple kindness. He still didn't recognize her; he only coaxed her as a part of his newfound human instinct. 

Grunting, I tore myself away from the frame of the door, muttering curses. I gently closed the doors - they had been repaired while Juri was still unconscious - before Suzaku notices I'd ever been there at all.

"Guess he's not doing any better, huh."

I looked up at the small form in the shadows of the hall. "Does it look like I'm going to f*cking answer something that's so obvious, it's not even a damn question?!"

Taken aback, CLAMPraven tilted her head to one side, her eyes wide. "It's just a rhetoric...damn it, Tasuki! Loosen up!"

My eyes widened in accordance, as I realized that I was scaring her. Quickly, I turned my reddening face away, scratching the back of my head sheepishly, red bangs distorting my vision.

"Sorry...um..."

"Yeah. Reflex. I'm familiar with the likes..."

The Nyan-Nyan shook her head, strands of jet black hair spilling. "It doesn't matter now. Everyone knows what's going on. The ex-god of Konan has amnesia, the ex-god of Sairou is traumatized by the ex-god of Konan's amnesia, and the two remaining gods left in heaven are wreaking havoc on the land. Natural disasters are happening everywhere, and Hotohori and Houki have more than enough to deal with. Believe it or not, it's actually starting to rain again."

I shivered instinctively. "Damn water..."

"There's more to worry about than just your damn water!" CLAMPraven sighed wistfully. "I just wish all this shit stops happening to us and we'd go back to normal. When Juri wakes up, she'll be so f*cking messed up it won't even be funny. If only you'd heard what I'd heard...when Juri told Suzaku that he used to love her, he...he couldn't even..."

The little girl choked on a sob. Frowning, I stepped closer to the girl, knelt down to look into her eyes, and realized that...

"Oh, hell no..." I muttered, shaking my head. "Hell, no, not you too!!"

But it was happening. CLAMPraven was...

_Crying._

The destructive fighter, the eternal badass, the only foul-mouthed Nyan-Nyan in the history of the world, _crying._

I would've cared less if it were Juri. Juri has cried at least five to ten times in our presence. So has Miaka, Byakko, and Nuriko. So has Chiriko, Chichiri, Tamahome, and Mitsukake. So have I. But never, ever, had I ever thought CLAMPraven would do it, too!

She was almost as bad as me, and I didn't think she would try it. Nowadays, she was angrier than ever, and she sweared even more in her sentences than usual...yet here she was, crying for possibly the first time in her adolescent life.

And all I could think was...

//SHIT...!!! What the hell have I done?!? I've created a monster!!! NOOOOOOOoooooooo....//

"ARGH!!!" Grabbing the girl's shoulders, I shook her. Hard. "Damn it, CLAMPraven!!! Snap the f*ck out of it!!! You're scaring the hell out of me, and you know, unless you're armed with water or one of my damn sisters, it ain't f*cking easy to scare the hell out of me!!!"

But she didn't stop crying. Her eyes were leaking like sieves. "You don't understand..."

"What the f*ck don't I understand?!"

"HE DOESN'T EVEN F*CKING REMEMBER WHAT LOVE WAS!!!" CLAMPraven was screaming now, tears streaming down her face and onto her clothing. "Suzaku can't even remember the love that he and Juri shared!!! He's hurting her so damn much right now, and I can't even f*cking do anything about it!!!!"

I immediately shut up. The pain and fury in her eyes hit me like a steel hand. "CLAMPraven..."

//I remember that look. Back in Mt. Black, I did the same...the exact same thing...//

//How could I have not realized it before?//

My eyes widened as it all came back to me. Letting go of CLAMPraven's frail shoulders, and watching the girl tremble and eventually quiet down in her weeping, everything started to sink in...

The past...that one day in Mt. Black, the day that Chichiri disappeared in the avalanche...

_"CHICHIRI IS F*CKING DEAD!!! You left him in the mountains to die, damn it!! How the f*ck can we save him now?!?"_

Juri had been frightened by the desperation in my eyes; Nuriko had slapped me for it, like he had always done. The flashback, instant and vivid, told me exactly what I had needed to know. 

The pain in my voice, the fear, the excruciating want for everything to be okay...and the anger, spewing hot blue and white sparks, the anger that had taken over my soul, my entire being...

Getting up from my kneeling point, where I could no longer see the Nyan-Nyan's eyes anymore, I stared into empty darkness down the corridor, my eyes alight with wonder.

"You...must feel terrible..."

-

~CLAMPraven~

I gasped, instantly jerking my head upwards at the sound of his voice.

Tasuki was staring down the corridor. The shadows crossing his features and his ethereal flaming hair gave way for the glow of his amber eyes, shining with unmistakable light. At first, I'd thought that there was something down the hall that he was staring at...then, as I gazed deep into those eyes' depths, I saw it. 

His eyes weren't staring at anything in particular...no...they were filled with the light of something distant...something magical, from a long time ago...possibly, somewhere between the past and present...

But that's impossible. Anatomically impossible, universally incorrect, and downright wrong.

"Tasuki...SPECULATING?!"

I slapped my mouth shut as I realized that I had said it out loud. Looking back up, I saw that Tasuki was still motionless, his expression unreadable. I was a bit scared of this...Just as I had thought that he wasn't going to answer me, small fangs poked out of his lips to smile down at me. 

"'Course I'm speculating! Everybody has their moments!" He growled, his grin still apparent. His eyes regained their feral shine; it was the most adorable thing I'd seen in ages. "I ain't that retarded!" 

I blinked, surprised, then laughed. "Tasuki no baka...!"

A baka...but how the hell can one baka be so...interesting? And strangely adorable... I wondered in my mind. 

Before he could figure out a retort for my insult, a shape stumbled out from the doorway of Suzaku's room...

_

"Juri!" We both yelled at the same time.

"You're awake!! We were so damn worried about you!!" I rushed towards her, concerned. "Are you okay? Juri...?"

Please don't let the f*cking girl be broken now... I prayed desperately, the pleading clear in my cerulean/turquoise eyes. Gembu, Seiryuu, and whoever the hell else is in heaven right now...please don't let her shatter...

But she wasn't shattered.

The raven-haired girl with bloodshot red eyes had a strange look on her face, one that I don't think I've ever seen her wear before. No...it wasn't the wiser-than-thou look I'd seen on her face in battle...not the gracious one, either, or the pissed-off one, or the tired one, or the flustered one, or the confused one, or the bitter one...and definitely not the angry-as-hell one...instead, her eyes were dreamy.

My eyes nearly bugged out of my skull when I figured out where I'd seen that look before. Just a few seconds ago. Except...it was on Tasuki's face, and far less mysterious...

"I had thought it was a dream..." Juri quietly whispered, staring down at the floor. "When I woke up in his arms, though...I knew it was more than that. He still looked like a child...he wasn't my Suzaku. My Suzaku was swearing, and bitter, and as corrupt as a god could get...next to Seiryuu..." she smiled a little at this... "...and the redhead holding my body was the most innocent creature I had ever seen in my life. Maybe my Suzaku used to be like this, before he had become a god, and formed opinions..."

She stared wistfully inside the room she had been in; the doors were still opened, revealing the ex-god leaning against the window, feeling the texture of the glass and marveling at its smoothness.

"It's strange. He's opening up to the world again, and learning things over, all because of a single Koudoutai no Inferuno yo that Seiun-sama had conjured...if he looses his memory, now and forever, at least he can learn again. That is one ability he'll never lose. Maybe one day, I can tell him about his days as a god...but for now, I will cope with what I can do. If I have to teach him to be the one I loved before, I will..." Juri said this all with glistening eyes, but she willed upon her face a hopeful smile. 

"I've had time to think about this. I refuse to lose the love we had...it was precious, and it had been right. I would not have traded it for any treasure, and I would not have traded him for any man; Suzaku is my one and everything, my universe. If someone were to help Suzaku regain his life, I would be the first and last to try."

Her fist clenched tightly.

"And if it takes eternity to get my Suzaku back, I will spend it trying...he's out there somewhere, his consciousness in the shadows of hell...but one can go through hell and bring it back...I'm sure of it! Even if we're of old age, as old as Subaru and Tokaki...as old as Taiitsu-kun herself, somehow, I'll regain the piece of my heart that was once mine. He will come back to me...because I will find him."

I sighed, feeling her pain. Her heart is breaking, and yet she stands firm, already gluing herself back together with what little hope she has left. If only Suzaku could see this... "Juri..."

Tasuki had walked up to the two of us as well. "How can you be so f*cking adaptable, Juri?"

She gazed at the two of us, musing. "I don't know...how can I be so adaptable? There is one thing I do know, though...I'll have to start teaching Suzaku; if his consciousness can't reach out for me on his own, it might with memories. I'll put in the effort. Will you two help me?"

"Will we?" I scoffed, nearly chuckling, nearly crying. "Damn it, Juri! What the hell are you asking that for?! And as Tasuki would put it..." I turned to the red-haired bandit, smirking as I did my imitation: "_Does it look like I'm going to f*cking answer something that's so obvious, it's not even a damn question?!_"

This earned me a smack over the head with the metal tessen. 

Juri sweatdropped visibly. "Eheh...you guys fight too much. That's what woke me up in the first place, you know...but like I said, if you're willing to help me, I have to give you a much harder question, this one a lot more difficult than the one I just asked, and I need your opinions..."

-

~Taikou~

"Wha - ?!" My eyes bulged out, taken aback. "There is no explanation of that, Juri!!"

Juri twiddled her thumbs nervously, staring at the floor. "I know...that's why I gathered all of you here," she glanced around at the 5 seishi, the 3 monks, plus CLAMP-chan, the Miko, and the ex-tiger god. "Everyone knows there is no exact definition of love. But 'what's love' is the first question that Suzaku asked me, besides whether Suzaku was his real name or not, which he already knows. I've only experienced love for a short period of time, so I'm not sure if my definition qualifies with the rest of you. Which is why I'm asking you: what do you think love is? You're more experienced than I am...so what do you say? Help me out?"

There was a distinct murmur of voices in the Koudoutai shrine's meeting room, where we had gathered.

CLAMPraven shrugged in the armchair. "Yeah, well, you heard the lady. There are a million definitions of love. Not oall of them are peachy keen, either. And...hey! You know, this is exactly like that one song I know!"

"What f*cking song?" Tasuki glared at her, scared. "And why do I get the damn feeling that you're going to do something very bad right now?" 

Bouncing up from the chair, taking no heed whatsoever of Tasuki, the Nyan-Nyan started to sing.

"_Some say loooooooove...it is a riiiiiver, that droooowns the tender reeeeeeeeeeeed!!!! Some say looooooove, it is a raaaaazor, that leeeeeaves your soul to bleeeeeeeeeeeeed!!!!!" _CLAMPraven hollered cheerfully at the top of her lungs, scaring the shit out of everyone in the room.

"What the hell...?!?" Tamahome screamed, blocking his ears. Everyone else had pretty much the same reaction.

Except Juri.

"Hey!!! I know this song!!! I used to sing it in choir!!!" The black-haired oracle immediately joined in. 

"_Some say LOOOOOOOOOVE, it is a huuuuunger, an endless aching NEEEEEEEEED!!!_"Both girls sang in unison.

Somewhere in the shrine, a window shattered.

"This is just weird..." I stared at the two of them, while Tasuki was begging for mercy. "But it is catchy!"

Enri just...glared. "Sing along and you die."

The two of them continued, unaware of everyone else. "_I say LOOOOOOOOOOOVE, it is a flooooooower..._"

"_AND YOU....IT'S ONLY SEEEEEEEEEEEEED!!!!!!_" A huge soprano voice roared.

Everybody froze, turning to stare at the back of the room, where Byakko was blushing to the toes. 

"Eheh...spur of the moment, anyone?"

Juri and CLAMPraven's mouths turned from shocked O's into huge grins that stretched from ear to ear; soon, both broke into fits of contagious laughter between one another, tumbling on the carpet. Everyone watching this immediately sweatdropped.

Nearby, Chichiri shook his head, pulling the hysterical girls to their feet. "Does anyone else remember why we're here, no da?"

Priest Seiun nodded fervently. "To prevent Juri and CLAMPraven from ever singing in the same room again, hm!"

Juri gradually calmed down, her giggling fit nearly dissolved as she stumbled back to her chair. "Oh...oh, God...I nearly forgot what it was like to laugh like that again! Now, if you were to add Tasuki to that little karaoke fiasco..."

"Just f*cking leave me out of this!!!" The redheaded bandit threatened.

_What's karaoke? _I wondered, but kept listening.

With a huge grin, CLAMPraven settled back down in her seat as well, giving her red-eyed friend a gentle pat on the back. The little Nyan-Nyan looked happier than I had seen her in days...you could see it in her eyes how glad it was that happiness had returned to Juri. "You're really learning how to be happy again," the girl remarked.

The thoughts of their friendship warmed me up inside, and made me smile along with them...the two of them were beneficiary to each other, and only through being together could they fully regain their happiness. It was that fraternal love that made them sisters, and the best of friends, even in the short time that they'd known each other.

It was a beautiful thing.

"So..." Byakko cleared his throat carefully, trying not to shatter the moment. "What was the question again? 'What is love?'"

"This is tough, hm!" Seiun grunted. "I've never loved anyone in my life. And the ex-tiger god can't supply an answer for the same reason, hm!" The priest appeared to be in deep thought.

"Love doesn't have to be with your partner, no da..." Chichiri pointed out. "It can be with anyone. It is the joy that you share with anyone that you care deeply about; it can be a lover, but it can also be just a friend, no da. It can be with relatives, with inanimate objects, with the world, no da..."

The blue-haired monk bowed his head sorrowfully. "Even with just a lost memory."

A large hand found its way to Chichiri's shoulder, as Mitsukake gazed at him with mutual understanding. "It's hard, isn't it?"

When Chichiri turned to face the healer, his mask was already removed. A small tear was rolling down his cheek.

"Very."

"You can't exactly put a tag on love," CLAMPraven agreed, casting a sorrowful stare in the 2 Shichiseishi's direction. "What about the rest of you?"

Tasuki shrugged nonchalantly. "I have no f*cking clue. I don't love girls; hell, I don't even like girls that much. And I wouldn't know shit about love with your family; I ran away from them when I was a kid. But if it helps, before I joined the Suzaku seishi, I would've probably said that your love with a person is exactly equivalent to the amount of sex you have with them."

Silence.

(SLAP!)

"OW!!! Damn it, Miaka!!!!"

The Suzaku no Miko, glaring menacingly at the bandit, cleared her throat. "Don't listen to the baka, Juri-chan. Listen to the priestess of the god of love. I know what love is like, and it's like food."

Juri blinked widely. So did everyone else in the room.

"Once you have one bite, you can't stop eating!" Miaka continued on with her strange logic. "It's really quite simple. After a while, a person gets addicted, and they can't escape love...or food! Take it from me. Love and food are things you can't get by without in life, and you need a lot of both! Don't you agree, Tamahome-chan?"

Tamahome, wide-eyed, gulped. "Er...yeah..."

"Are you sure you don't have anything to...maybe...add to that, Tamahome?" Juri asked nervously, afraid it might end up as an equally embarrassing answer.

The fighter seishi stood up from his sitting, with a small, suspenseful grin. "Miaka is right. Love is...um...a lot like food...er, but after having been in a relationship with her for so long, and seeing just how rewarding it is, I can successfully say that it's even more like MONEY!!"

Thankfully, Hotohori gagged Tamahome with his own sleeve before the madness could continue. 

"Love is the dawning of a radiant new day upon the sky," the emperor recited dreamily, as if by memory, "and it shines upon the earth, bringing forth vivid color in all that live. It is the mothering stream that runs alongside dusty and barren wastelands, slipping life into the hearts of others. It is the serenity of the moon coupled with the brilliance of the sun, the grace of the angels and the temptation of the devils. It is the - "

"Heika?"

"Hm?" Hotohori paused, looking at the one who had spoken up. "Yes, Priest Seiun?"

"Hm..." The tiny yet elderly figure scratched his chin. "I don't mean to be disrespectful, Hotohori-sama, but if you are really trying to supply an explanation to someone who had just lost their memory, like Suzaku, you really don't want to use any similes or metaphors, hm? No detailed comparisons of love to something else;t would only confuse him more..."

The emperor was stunned. "I hadn't thought of that..."

"Yeah," Juri sighed. "Next thing I know, he'd be asking me what the sun and moon are, and he's not yet ready for that..."

"And yet he's ready to learn what love means?" Enri raised a slick eyebrow.

"As ironic as it is, that's what he asked for, and we're here to deliver," CLAMPraven replied, with somewhat of a hopeless expression on her face. "So what the hell are we going to say?" 

"Well, who hadn't spoken up yet, no da?" Chichiri suggested. 

12 expectant pairs of eyes turned to me, as I squirmed uncomfortably in my seat, realizing that, in fact, everyone had pitched in their two cents....except for me. Blushing on the spot, I turned away, trying to hide my features as much as possible, feeling as though I was a trapped animal...

_No...please, don't let them ask me..._

_How can I know what love is? I'm only a simple Koudoutai monk!! I had been a Koudoutai monk ever since I was 14, and chastity was what I'd lived by!! And before that..._

I gasped.

_Before that, I..._

"Taikou...?" Juri asked worriedly. "What's wrong...?"

Shocked, I realized that they were still watching me intently. In an instant, I turned to her and everyone else, bearing as much of a false smile as I could muster. "Daijoubu, Juri. I am just a simple pink-haired monk. I'm afraid I don't have an answer for your question...sorry."

Deep down, I breathed a great sigh of relief. 

I couldn't make them worried about me; my past is my problem, and they can't help me change it when it can't be changed. Especially Juri...the girl blames herself for everything that happens to the people around her. She doesn't need any more to focus on than Suzaku's condition!

The red eyes regarding me didn't look convinced; despite that, she saw that persuasion wouldn't do anything for this. So she went with the most considerate answer possible at the time.

"Taikou...you mustn't pretend that you have never experienced love before. Even if you are a monk, there are people around you whom you get attached to, over time. But if it's something you don't want to talk about, it wouldn't offend me..." Juri's tone of voice was soft, and her expression clearly told me that she meant what she'd said.

My fists clenched.

_No...it's not that...she still doesn't understand...!!_

To everyone's surprise...even mine, I let out a low, unexpected growl of rage. Closing my eyes quietly, I managed to stop the scream of fury buried deep inside my throat, as all Koudoutai monks were trained to do; my temper flared, low and dangerous, as I inhaled softly...

"It's not that, Juri. You are mistaken. I won't pretend that it doesn't upset me, because it does. On the same note, I won't pretend that I can blame you, because I can't. It is not your fault; I'm sorry, Juri, but it is not as you think. Stop me at any time if you have heard this before; slap me if you feel this is offensive."

"Taikou..." Seiun warned dangerously, but I continued.

"True...I wasn't always a monk. However, I have never experienced true love before, nor parental love...nor friendship on a deep, psychological viewpoint. The other monks know my story, but you don't. I don't intend to go into it, either. All you really need to know now is that I have no definition of love of any sort; though, I know the definition of liking inside my heart...it is all that had been able to keep me from hurling myself off a cliff, a few years ago."

Enri said nothing to stop me, as the audience gaped. But I could feel his dark, silent, gnashing anger in my subconscious...it is no longer like his feminist anger, but rather an anger that was heartfelt, yet left unsaid...

_It doesn't matter...it doesn't matter if they're angry..._

_This needs to come out of me, here and now..._

I went on. "I have no definition of love for you, Juri, except that it is something I have never felt and something I don't deserve. With that said, I hope you manage to find a suitable explanation for Suzaku." 

Turning my back on the room, I trudged out. "Sumimasen, minna. I think I left the water running..."

-

~Jenny~

I stared at the silent pink-haired monk as he walked out of the room.

Jenny...Juri...what the hell have you done now?!

"Taikou..." I started, getting out of my seat...but was stopped by the calm and collected white-haired monk.

"It would be your best bet not to touch him, for now," Enri instructed, his purple glare fixated on Taikou's back, as he walked down the hall. His expression was a sad one, and one of the utmost sympathy. "He doesn't like to talk about personal things with anyone. Even we aren't that close to him. And judging by the look on your face, I'm guessing you've found out the hard way what we learned 4 years ago, when we welcomed him to the shrine. Let me guess...you didn't expect him to bite back, did you?"

"No..." I murmured softly. I couldn't force down the frown that I wore. 

My mind was whirling with thoughts...I had never thought the pink-haired monk could've been that serious! What if the cheerful, ranting exterior hides something dark...something sinister? Was it just a phase, or is this the true Taikou that we never knew about? 

"Sure as hell, there's something about Taikou that we don't know about," CLAMPraven glared at Enri. "You little shit...you and the old priest knew about this?"

He bowed his head, white strands of silk cascading over his eyes. "I don't know any exact details. But when we -" he cast a glance at Seiun, " - took him in, we found out that he wasn't the average ranting freak, so to speak."

"You don't want to tell us, do you...?" I furrowed my brows in thought. "But there's no way in hell I can bear to see him like that again, without knowing what I can do to help!"

Biting my tongue, I stared hard at Enri. His stance was rigid, his expression unreadable. His eyes were glazed over with the control he was trying to preserve...but underneath that haze, there was a vulnerability. There was a heart in the skeleton.

He cared. Underneath it all, he did care.

"He...won't talk to us. That's for certain. Can you talk to him?" I asked tentatively.

Enri's violet eyes met my red ones. And for a split, his eyes shone the answer...

-

~Irasa~

Through a window of the Koudoutai shrine, I could see them. All 12 of them, discussing something serious. I knew not what, I knew not why. But I had lingered near the window for a time now, watching the pink-haired monk depart, then the white-haired one; through all this time, I had caught one sentence on the girl Juri's lips.

'What's love'...that was her question. She probably brought forth all her friends to find an answer. 

_/Why/_, I wondered? 

Deep down, my snake senses were acting up, curious as to what they were talking about...I was part Medusa, after all, and it was a natural sensation. I hadn't seen any of them since the day that Priest Seiun battled against the fighter CLAMPraven...I wanted to know more about them. They were nicer than the harem, which didn't tell me a lot, but anything is worth a look.

The Koudoutai shrine's door was unlocked. I could easily get in. And if they talked any more slowly, I could probably give them the answer they were looking for. I was deaf...which is probably why they don't know that I double as a handy reference...

_/Teehee.../_

* * *

_Suzaku: (shouting into the walkie-talkie) WHAT DO YOU MEAN, SHE'S MADE A MACHINE THAT'S GOING TO BRAINWASH THE OWNER OF EVERY WHITE CHOCOLATE-MANUFACTURING COMPANY IN THE UNIVERSE, THEN SIGN CONTRACTS WITH THEM SO THAT SHE CAN GET A LIFELONG DOSE OF ALL THE WHITE CHOCOLATE SHE'LL EVER NEED TO TURN BACK INTO AN AKUMA AND TAKE OVER THE ANIME WORLD?!?!?_

_Suzaku: (pants)_

_Suzaku: (stops panting) I'll...um, get back to you, Chichiri...um, don't do anything just yet, not until we arrive...you said that she's still waiting on her instant noodles, so we've still got some time...we'll figure out a strategy soon...a maneuver for this situation...(glares off to the side)...that is, as soon as BYAKKO stops trying to sell our EXPLOSIVES to DRACONSIS!!!! (shuts off walkie-talkie) **BYAKKO... **_

(Byakko can be seen off to the side of the arsenal of the prepared cast of Juri, innocently trying to hand over a VERY generous pile of explosives to a VERY hyperactive fangirl...)

_Byakko: Now be careful not to leave the flammable ones next to any matches...huh? _

_Suzaku: Stop it. NOW._

_Byakko: COME ON, SUZAKU!!! She's been begging on the review pages for who knows how long now! She needs them for her little brother! (Initiates puppy dog eyes sequence) PLEEEEAAAASE?! Have mercy, Suzaku!!!_

_Suzaku: (sweatdrops).....Byakko. We're talking about the fangirl who stapled herself to the computer._

_Draconsis: (sweatdrops in turn) (holds up wounded hand) Ehehehehe...I still have the mark, actually. (points to rather large scar) See? I got the staple out, but it busted a few veins and tore off some muscle tissue, and it was bleeding all over the place, so I had to go to the doctor and get stitches for it. (super fangirl grin) But at least I got back home in time for dinner!!!_

_Suzaku: (stares in muted confusion)......................_

**(NOTE: if Draconsis is here to read this...I have half a mind to put you in Suzaku's little guerilla attack on the brainwashing plot of a certain insane fanfiction writer....but only with your permission! And if anyone else is interested, post a note on the review pages! Take note, however, that I can't portray everybody exactly, if I do include you in the author's notes. But it would be interesting...!)**

-CLAMPraven 


	30. Forbidden Love in the Eyes of Stars' Pr...

**"Juri"**

**-from girl to oracle-**

**By CLAMPraven**

* * *

~ Forbidden Love in the Eyes of Stars ~

Part 29 of the Legend of Juri - Pretense

* * *

**(Attention! There is very VERY light shounen-ai in this chapter. VERY VERY VERY light...like a hug or so. But there will be more in future chapters, as more of Taikou's past is revealed. Beware all ye bigots...)**

(At the so-called 'military camp' of the cast of Juri, where Byakko's trailer had once been, Suzaku paces back and forth furiously. Meanwhile, the tiger god is watching him innocently; two figures stand off to the side.)

_Suzaku: (mutters incoherently) _

_Byakko: (pouts) I still don't get it. We're going into WAR soon! Everyone's equipped with their weapons, all the nukes are ready, Chiriko and Juri have written out our strategy of attack, CLAMPraven's about to initiate the brainwashing beam any second now, Chichiri is still hiding underneath her table, and...(takes a deep breath)...you're worried about...THEM?! (points)_

(Apparently, the two figures standing off to the side are two of the reviewers. Which two of the reviewers? Well...)

_Suzaku: Sure as hell, this was your doing, Byakko!! Who else would try and put the reviewers as our new recruits?!? And you know, they'll kill the bishounen before CLAMPraven does!!! (turns to the 2 reviewers) Why the hell are you here?_

_Otaku Pitcher: (clears her throat) Well, Suzaku, it's like this. (twiddles thumbs) See, we've read this fic for so long...we've been the dedicated fans we needed to be, and we've loved every single chapter of 'Juri'...even the really short ones! We love the characters, and we love the plot twists, even though they can be as loopy as hell! (huge fangirl eyes) Not to mention CLAMPraven and you two make the best authors notes ever!!_

_Chibigreenwizardmon: So when the chance came that we could join the authors notes, we took our opportunities and came here! (beams) We're ready to fight against CLAMPraven and all the white chocolate in the world!!_

_Byakko: Eheh...you're too kind. But, uh...who did call you here?_

(both fangirls stare at each other)

_Chibigreenwizardmon: (sweatdrops) It was that huge voice in brackets and bold letters..._

_Otaku Pitcher: Yeah! He came at the beginning of this author's note...(narrow eyes) Who is that, anyway?_

_Suzaku: (Blinks) (stares hopelessly at Byakko) We don't know. Is it a spy?!_

(Just then, the walkie-talkie is switched on. Suzaku picks it up, to find a very frightened blue-haired monk on the other line.)

_Chichiri: (hissing) Suzaku!! Do you read me, no da?! CLAMPraven's finished her instant noodles, no da!! I repeat, CLAMPraven's finished her instant noodles!! You've got to -_

_Suzaku: (Switches off the walkie-talkie) Oh, what the f*ck. Come along if you don't mind getting killed. _

_Otaku Pitcher: THANK YOU!!! (latches onto Suzaku) (blinks) Wait a second. Suzaku, we can't actually get killed. As CLAMPraven had once said, just after she turned akuma on us the first time..._

_Chibigreenwizardmon: She said, and we quote: "As a crazy fanfiction writer, I am invulnerable, invincible, and immortal. The laws of physics, logic, and sanity do not apply to me." (nods) It's true._

_Byakko: (pales dramatically) The world must be nearing its end. Chibigreenwizardmon is quoting from CLAMPraven. _

_Suzaku: (shudders) All the more reason to kill off her evil, once and for all! LET'S F*CKING GO ALREADY!!!_

-CLAMPraven 

* * *

~Aya~

Teleporting into a corner of the Koudoutai shrine, I opened my eyes slowly to glance around.

The praying room was dim, lit by the fumes of incense from the morning. Sutras and sacred kanji readings hung from the walls. Statues of different metals gleamed on the shadowed platforms, each carved into the symbols of the eleven existing Mikotos. There was another on the left side of the room, one carved out of lead, of the now banished Akigo Kano...my friend. 

And he who I am risking myself for, here and now.

This was the praying room of the Koudoutai shrine, the only pure room in the building, the only place where Mikotos can access and communicate with the monks. 

This...was where I would make myself known, as a supporter of the love between mortal and immortal...the love between the oracle Juri and the phoenix god Suzaku. 

I will show myself tonight, and I will help the red-eyed girl and her friend, CLAMPraven. 

"I will prove myself loyal, Kano," I whispered, "because even in the bleakest despair...you trust me. And you trust Hitori! You wouldn't like to see me risking my godliness for your sake, but some things have to be done...and - "

My brows furrowed.

_Hm...?_

Footsteps!

_Someone's coming! The monk..._

_It's Taikou..._

Picking up the folds of my pastel yellow garment, I pushed my feet up above the floor, bouncing off the surface of the floor soundlessly and floating upwards gracefully. My body bent in the shape of a crescent, my eyes concentrating on the floor, my frail body rising like wisps of smoke, a bundle of dress and ribbons and violet strands of silky hair. Putting two fingers to my lips, I began to chant a soft mantra, my form starting to fade away, become transparent...

Soon, I had disappeared altogether into the air. Wearing my spell of invisibility, I wafted around the statues, waiting for the fragile, crying boy who was to greet me next...

-

~Taikou~

As soon as I had gotten far enough away from the room where we held the meeting, I broke into a mad dash down the hall. Tears streamed down my face, but I paid no heed to them, as my feet hit the ground, propelling me ahead, away from the madness and the pain and the fear and the past...

Juri shouldn't have brought the subject up. On the same note, however, I can't blame her. She needs a solution for Suzaku; she needs to explain to him what love means! 

And yet, to ask me something like that...

_NO!! I can't think about it...I won't think about it! I WON'T!! I can't afford to lose myself to memories like that..._

_The praying room...yes, that's where I'll hide..._

Soon, my eyes met the opened door of the praying room. Scared stiff, disheveled, and out of breath, I paused at the entranceway, allowing the tears to gather in front of my vision like a wet haze...

It was a dark and eerie place at this time, lit only by the soft, drifting white smoke of the incense. The room was silent, unfeeling, decked with metallic symbols and ancient artifacts that glowed sleepily throughout day and night, as if waiting to be tended to, to be freed from their trancelike state. The candles had burned out in early dawn, and everything seemed lifeless...almost ethereal. 

There was something otherworldly about that room...something that made Priest Seiun install the sacred statues inside in the first place, the metal carvings and religious incantations written in kanji that marked a magical square, a passage for heaven and all that is beyond, a sanctuary for those of the other realm to reach down to us. This was the only area in the shrine where the Mikotos could hear our prayers, our pleads, our tears...

I furrowed my eyebrows.

_My faith is being tested. If the Mikotos can hear me, if they truly can feel my pain..._

_Then let them come to me. Let them heal me._

I half-walked, half-limped into the room, ignoring my tears.

_For now, my Mikotos, if you can understand this agony that my past had plagued me with, please...show yourself._

There was an essence around the room; I could feel it. The Mikotos are listening...a Mikoto was listening. Something watched over me, that moment...! 

_Someone...someone was watching...someone was waiting..._

And as I squinted through the haze in my eyes, the whole room seemed to glow...especially one statue, amongst the eleven that were still valid Mikotos...the one of the Otomeza, the Mikoto of love...!!

My eyes blinked rapidly, as I realized that there was an enormous ki in the room, something I had not noticed up until now...a delicate, piercing ki, invisible yet deadly, in the silhouette of a feminine creature perched in the air...

That did it.

"SHOW YOURSELF!!!!" I hollered angrily to the emptiness of the room, determined to find the source of the energy. "I KNOW YOU'RE HERE!!! MIKOTO!!!!"

There was a moment of silence. The room's swirling energy seemed to cool down, then...

_Looks like you've found me out, Sakurayume Taikou...now, can you guess who I am?_

-

_Meanwhile, back in the room down the hall..._

-

~Jenny~

"Irasa?!?" I stared at the frail, serpentine girl. "What are you doing?!"

The servant girl from yesterday's events had come...I was shocked. Everyone was shocked, when we saw her face. We remembered her clearly as the deaf girl who stood by my Chiriko-chan as he was frozen solid...we remembered all too well, especially CLAMPraven, who assigned Chiriko-chan to her in the first place. 

Yet, that was not why we were surprised.

It wasn't so much the fact that she was there, but moreover what she was doing, and the position that she was in.

Half of Uwabami Irasa's body was slung over the rail of the window, her arms and upper body dangling upside-down with her spine touching the rail and her chest facing the ceiling. The rest of her, dress folds and all, disappeared out the window, where I assumed it was dangling also. And while the position would've been freakishly painful for anyone else, she swayed side-to-side happily, wore her upside-down fanged grin (which was a huge earnest crescent on her face, unlike the cocky smirk Tasuki always wore), and waved at us, laughing as she did this. 

Did I mention that the window was about twenty feet off the ground?

Byakko was horrified. "Irasa!! Get down from there!"

"The girl must be insane! Mentally unstable!" Hotohori exclaimed, slapping his forehead exasperatedly. "Why did my advisors let her work here?!"

"How is she doing that?" Mitsukake marvelled, like the doctor that he was. "Real servant girls aren't that flexible! Our own _seishi_ aren't that flexible!!"

"Should I try and get her down with a spell, no da?" Chichiri asked me worriedly. 

Then the unthinkable happens.

Grasping the rail of the window, Irasa pulls her legs in from the window, pulling them straight up as if doing a mid-air handstand. This only lasted for a few seconds, however. With a whoop of joy, her whole body swung down, like a stiff metal rod, onto the wall. In a lightning motion, the snake-like girl reached out one hand, stopping her swinging form just before becoming a wall angel. One hand still hung on to the rail of the window; her back faced us as she faced the wall. But sure as hell, she was still about 15 feet away from the ground.

And just when we thought she couldn't amaze us any more, Irasa lets go of her grasp on the rail. Most of us shrank down, afraid of seeing her plunge to her death...

But even though there were no crevices to hold onto on the window, she manages to stay on the wall! 

I stared as her small form, now on all fours on the wall, climbed down quickly, vertically, and with ease...Spider-man style.

"So..." she mused as she got down on her two feet, staring at all of us. "What did you think?"

"Holy...shit," Tasuki murmured. "Holy...f*cking...shit!!!"

"How the hell...?!" CLAMPraven was at a loss for words also.

Irasa sweatdropped, blushing from all the attention she was getting. "Eheheh...it's not that entertaining...is it?"

"Not that entertaining?!?" I cried. "NO...you've only just defied all the known laws of gravity, sanity, and not to mention all the physical capabilities of a normal human being!!! And - " Stopping, I considered this. "Sure you're human?"

Tilting her head to one side, the electric-blue haired girl frowned. "I'm afraid I didn't catch the first two sentences...but..." she grinned. "You're right. You have good instincts, Juri...I am not human. My great-great-grandmother was of the Medusa race." Opening her mouth widely, she pointed to the sharp protruding fangs. "This is why the fangs exist. And if you'll look closely..."

I leaned closer...then jumped back, yelping in shock at what I saw.

"AAAAAAAGH!!!"

We were too busy to notice the small details before, but there, in the darkness of her mouth...were two tongues. A human tongue and a forked, reptilian one on top of it. Both moved from side to side so that it was obvious to the eye. 

The snake tongue flicked out at me, as everyone else screamed in turn, fearful. 

"Oh my God, no da!!" 

"HOLY SHIT!!!!"

The Medusa girl closed her mouth, scratching the back of her head sheepishly. "Sorry if that frightened you. It comes with the superhuman strength and the ability to stay on walls and...um, stop from falling. Aside from this, I also noticed that my eyes glow in the dark, that my scales always show up near an open wound, that I have roughly half of a regular snake's digestive system, and that I can, and do, communicate with snakes. My hair doesn't turn into snakes though...don't worry about that. But my deafness has nothing to do with being part Medusa...it's just a birth defect.

"But what I'm really here for is not to flaunt this skill."

The snake girl turned to me. 

"Juri, you wish to explain what love is, to Suzaku. I have your explanation with me...although it isn't in words."

"Isn't...in words?" I pondered out loud.

She nodded fervently. "That's right. You love Suzaku. You know exactly what love is, even though you don't know how to communicate it. Try to think about it."

Suddenly, my brain clicked, leaving me stunned. "You mean - "

"Yes. He doesn't understand talking. He can't. But he still comes with everything else that a normal human being is born with. You love him. You know you can't tell him what it means in words...how about _ showing_ your love to him?"

-

_Back at the praying room..._

_-_

~Taikou~

_So...you are the Otomeza no Mikoto..._

I could almost see a vision of him in my head...the most beautiful of all the Mikotos, standing in this shrine, shrouded in invisibility...his powers graced the room, his aura filling me...

_That's right. Sakurayume Taikou, loyal servant to the Koudoutai...what troubles you? _In my mind, he almost sounded...bored.

_What...what ails me? You should know, Otomeza-sama._

_Should I? You preach mainly under Tenbinza, you know. It isn't even my business to know...but I am waiting for night to settle in. I'm waiting for someone._

When I didn't respond to this, his tone took to...quite a different approach.

_Come on, Taikou! Seriously...when free counseling is available from a MIKOTO, a celestial being, you don't pass it up! And besides, when was the last time you've had a Mikoto of love, in full drag regalia, sitting at your friggin' doorstep?!_

I was a bit taken aback by this. A Mikoto, loosing his patience? _Wha-? You sound..._

_Like a normal person? Shouldn't I? I was born mortal, a normal human being...took me a lot of favors to get this far, you know. And after immortality for oh, about a few thousand years, I've just about had enough of these cliches. So has Suzaku and Byakko...that's why they sound like the dumb-ass street drunkards that they do._

_I...I see... _I blinked. 

_So, ANYWAY...about the free counceling?_

_Oh...oh! Of course...of course... _I fumbled with my robes. _You would know how to stop my past from haunting me all the time. Please, Otomeza-sama -_

A cough of embarrassment. _Just Aya is fine, thanks..._

_Oh, right...Motoyuri Aya was your name. Please, Aya...please tell me what I should do...I can't allow this to trouble me anymore. My friends are on the verge of finding out about what had happened to me in the past..._

I closed my eyes. _If they do find out, I know they would never accept me, ever again! What had happened to me is inevitably going to cause me problems. No one, not even the most psychotic or traumatized of the bunch, is ever going to believe that the happy, carefree, clumsy pink-oriented monk has been disgraced so badly in the past. My whole body is tainted from it...even now, and it took me so many spells just to try and clean up my physical self and my conscience...then all of a sudden, Juri pops up with this...simple question, and I couldn't turn away..._

_Taikou._

_...Aya...? Oh, sorry...I was ranting again, wasn't I..._

_No...that's not it._ The Mikoto's voice was firm. _I don't mind rants. They're a good form of expression._

_...R-really?! _I was shocked. A Mikoto who liked ranting...!!!

_Yes...but I do think you're being just a tad bit too pessimistic about your situation right about now. To tell you the truth, Taikou...it's not as bad as you think. I don't know what your past is, or what happened to you, but no past is worth lamenting about like you were doing. Your past is your past, and everyone has the ability within themselves to put their past behind. Some can do this easily. Others, like you..._

_Yes?_

_Others, like you, need someone to show you the way._

My mental voice fell silent for a second. Then...

_Who?_

Strangely enough, I could almost feel a finger pointing towards the door, and a smile on Aya's face.

_Behind you._

Hesitant, I turned around...to see Motohaku Enri's gaze in my direction. And all I could think was...

_...Crud._

And with that, the spirit of the Mikoto faded again from my mind, leaving me to face those piercing violet eyes...alone.

-

~Enri~

"So...there you are," I allowed myself a grin, stepping in the doorway to the praying room. The small pink-haired monk was alone, his eyes startled at my entrance. "You're a little faster than you look, Sakurayume...I had no idea you were hiding in here. I kind of stopped at every room down the hall..." This was followed by a sweatdrop. "Stupid, huh?"

*/Deep breaths, Enri, and if he gets pissed off and pink ki starts to gather, just run like hell.../*

Taikou managed to smile lightly in return, though his eyes were distraught. "Um...yeah..."

I sighed, no longer holding up my cool, controlled image...no longer even trying to. The poor thing...! 

Once again, I had to refrain from pinching myself. Damn my sensitive genes. "Look...if you don't want to talk about your past with everybody else, at least have the courtesy to talk about it with someone who already knows most of it. Please?"

"You don't know everything about it," Taikou immediately snapped back, then withdrew into quietness again.

Frowning, I gazed at the frail monk with sympathy.

It was true...the monks didn't know all of his past. We only ever found him when he was about fourteen years old, a little younger than the Suzaku no miko. We didn't know what happened before that, and at first, Taikou was distant and shy. Slowly, however, Seiun managed to pull him out of his loneliness...being with the tiny old hyperactive priest could do that to you. He had always tried to take care of Taikou, and squeeze in favors for Taikou, because it was obvious that he was a traumatized child, and he needed attention and gentle handling. Even I stuck my neck out for him more than once...Seiun would've probably hit me with his kendo stick if I didn't. 

I didn't feel sorry for Taikou back then, but I did now...I wasn't sure why. The sadness in his eyes was one thing...personally, I figured it was biased. Back when he was 14, he looked like a shy little girl...he always did have feminine features. But now, instead of growing strong and handsome as we thought he would, he had grown into a slim, youth with limbs that are a bit too pale and eyelashes that are a bit too long. Not a normal development. We tried not to think about it, but anyone could've mistaken him for a member of the harem, with their pastel color from staying indoors all the time, if they weren't careful. Maybe it was because he looked like that, that I pitied him now.

Damn me and my feminism. I tried it again.

"How come you've never told us about your past, Sakurayume?"

Taikou looked at me curiously. Immediately, I had to restrain, very hard, from slapping myself upside the face.

*/You idiot. You insensitive, dim-witted, downright inconsiderate idiot. He has a million reasons for not wanting to tell about his past, and you expect him not to come up with at least ONE?!/*

But instead of slapping me, or running off, Taikou took a deep breath. I blinked.

*/He's going to tell me his past?! Moreover, IT WORKED?!?/*

"I can't remember everything," he began quietly. "All I feel is the pain in my veins, and the agony of knowing I couldn't live to grow up. It was what they always told me, at any rate..."

-

~Taikou~

And all of a sudden, words started to rush out of my mouth, faster than a stream, faster than my mind could register them or halt them. All I could think about was that this was what Motoyuri Aya...the Otomeza Mikoto, had wanted, and that Enri was here right now and I couldn't keep it inside me anymore and I needed to tell someone, I was going to tell someone...

I was going to tell him everything.

_...narrated flashback..._

_I was lying on my bed, staring at the ceiling, just staring and waiting. Waiting for the candles to blow out._

_If there had been a god watching over my village, I doubt he would've taken pity._

_My mother and father's voices rang over the darkness. Stifling tears, I twisted and shifted in my bed, trying to block out the sound of their argument. Why were they talking about me like this? They knew I was listening, and yet they still talked, as though I was some sort of a dumb animal...my own parents..._

_And yet I listened._

_"No! I can't allow him to start working for his uncle just yet!!" My mother's voice rang out, cutting the silence like a sharp knife. "The boy is too weak for labor! He couldn't even lift a chair without help!"_

_"Still, this is the only opportunity he has," my father countered, with a low, thundering growl. "Do you see any of the other merchants jumping for the chance to hire him?! Ayame, we have a family to take care of, and the pay was as good as it got these days! If my brother is willing to take in Taikou, to learn the trade of a merchant, he may bring back home enough money to support both of us, and his brothers and sisters! Listen to reason, dear. There is no reason why we should hold back on him."_

_"How could you say that?!?" Mother's voice rose in volume. "Did you see what happened today?! Our Taikou was chasing his friends, on the meadow, just a simple chase...and he just...collapsed! He fainted from lack of energy, and little Rei had to drag him back home! Think, Yama! What good would come out of a son that doesn't even have enough energy to do anything?! He'll die if we allow him to do any labor work!! He'll die!!! He'll die by the age of marriage, and we wouldn't even be able to help him!! He'll never live a full life!!!"_

_A pause, then..._

_"Sometimes I wish he was never born...sometimes I wish he didn't exist, and I didn't have to see him suffer so...do you remember that night in winter, when he was born?"_

_"Of course I remember, Ayame. He weighed so little, in my arms, and he wouldn't cry, wouldn't even open up his eyes...and when he finally did, they were such an eerie pink. Just like his hair. No one in our family had pink eyes...we thought it was some sort of a curse...! He was premature, and so weak, we didn't think he'd survive at all..."_

_"Yes. But he did...he's the only boy we have. And now, he's putting all of us to shame with his vulnerability. If only he didn't have to do labor work, he might even live through these years, and bring some money and respect back home. You know, Yama...sometimes I think it would've been so much easier if he was born a girl..."_

_There was another pause. _

_Slowly, father drew in a shaky breath. Mother gasped in shock as well._

_And deep inside, I could feel that something awful was coming..._

_...narrated flashback..._

-

~Enri~

By now, Taikou had started to cry, his tears spilling delicately over his lashes and his pink strands of hair. He looked so desolate, and yet so innocent and beautiful...

"And something...something awful did come. That idea...that idea...it lead to e-everything..." He choked out. "I...It all happened so quickly and..."

I gazed at him in sympathy. */He looks so much like a little girl, not like a monk...and as corny and melodramatic as all this is turning out to be, somehow that fact changed everything.../*

*/I can't understand why this is happening to him...why does he suffer like this?/*

*/I didn't think I'd ever care this much...if Taikou were a woman, I would've understood why I feel so sorry for him, but this...? Him?! It doesn't make any sense...I usually just feel sorry for women...why him and why now?!/*

His sobs became louder, more agonizing. 

*/Please stop crying.../* my mind started to scream. */Please stop it...don't cry...don't cry!!/*

And suddenly, without knowing how, or when, or why, my arms found their way to his body, around his frail form. It was as though magic drew me closer to him. I didn't understand...I couldn't understand! And yet I was there, feeling his every emotion. With this strange turn of events, my thoughts rushed out in words.

"Stop it..." I growled harshly, squeezing him closer. "Stop crying. Right. Now."

I don't know what possessed me to be so rough all of a sudden, but it worked. Going rigid in my arms, Taikou blinked. So did I. My mind jolted as it realized the position we were in.

Slowly, we moved apart from one another, unsure of what would come next...

* * *

BWAHAHAHAHA!!! Why the suspense?! Because I want to, damn it!!!

(puts aside empty bowl) Ah...one bowl of instant noodles did the charm. Now, TO THE MACHINE!!!

(Standing up from her seat, CLAMPraven rushes to the super brainwashing...something or another.) 

(Meanwhile, underneath the table...)

_Chichiri: Well, they told me not to do anything until they get here...in that case, I'll just sit here and wait, no da...(pulls out traveling bag) Well, let's see what I have here, no da. (pulls out porn magazine) DAAAAA!!!! Crap...(narrows eyes)...must be Miroku's idea of a joke, no da. _

(Chichiri immediately teleports himself to Inu-Yasha land. Which, of course, we don't own...again...and we also don't own CLAMP...we don't own Evangelion, and we don't own Rayearth...on and on and on...)

(Meanwhile...)

_Suzaku: CHARGE!!!!!!_

(The whole cast of Juri storms through various dimensions at Mach 3 speed, until...)

_Suzaku: STOP!!!!_

(The whole crew crashes into the chicken god in their haste.)

_Suzaku: (gets up from off the ground, apparently very, VERY pissed off...) **BYAKKO...!!! **Did...you...invite...her...?!?_

_Byakko: IT WASN'T ME!!! I'M INNOCENT, I TELL YOU!!!_

_Fangirls: (pause from glomping the bishounen) What's going on?_

(For there, standing in the middle of their path, was...well, Draconsis. Super happy. Super hyperactive. With the Super Bazooka XIIV. Not exactly what anyone expected.) 

_Draconsis: OHAYO, MINNA!! (brandishes her bazooka) Can I go shoot CLAMPraven with you?! PRETTY PLEASE??_

_Suzaku: (dies)_

_Byakko: (blinks) This is never going to be easy, is it?_

-CLAMPraven 


	31. Forbidden Love in the Eyes of Stars' Bo...

**"Juri"**

**-from girl to oracle-**

**By CLAMPraven**

* * *

~ Forbidden Love in the Eyes of Stars ~

Part 30 of the Legend of Juri - Bonding

* * *

**(Note to Sanomi-chan: Ne...you're not in the author's notes because you didn't ask in the reviews! If you agree in the manner that was told about, 2 chapters ago, we would definitely try and fit you in, somehow!)**

**(And for everyone else, this might just be the longest chapter of Juri ever written...)**

(The brainwashing machine warmed up, and it fired the ray of light!!!)

(**BOOM!!!!!!!**)

(The beam shot out from CLAMPraven's headquarters, out of the boundaries of CLAMPraven's imagination, and into every other dimension known. From there, it whizzed into the minds of every single chocolate company owner in the world...)

(Needless to say, CLAMPraven was extremely happy.)

**WHOHOO!!! I DID IT!!! IDIDITIDIDITIDIDITIDIDITIDIDITIDIDIT...**

(And so on, and so on...)

(Meanwhile..)

_Suzaku: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooo......(continues on)_

_Otaku Pitcher: The beam's fired already? (lets go of Tasuki for the first time in half an hour; she hung on to Tasuki because Chichiri wasn't there...) Well, that's a shame. All the preparation is useless, then. (teary eyes) And I didn't even get to see Chichiri!!! (breaks down in tears)_

_Chibigreenwizardmon: We're too late...now CLAMPraven's going to turn into a white-chocolate akuma again for sure...! (keeps hanging on to Taikou VERY tightly) Aww...does that mean we have to leave you?_

_Taikou: (says nothing because Chibigreenwizardmon's death grip is choking him)......(hack)......._

_Draconsis: (turns to Suzaku threateningly) You idiot!!!!_

_Suzaku: ...oooooooooooo - (stops screaming) EXCUSE ME?!?_

_Draconsis: (narrows eyes) It's simple. If you hadn't wasted so many author's notes just complaining about Byakko and the fangirls, we would've gotten here in time!! (teary eyes) And I didn't even get to use my bazooka ~ !!_

_Suzaku: (scoffs) We would've never gotten here in time anyway. All of this is prescheduled. I have a feeling that everything that's going to happen in this world has already been decided by CLAMPraven and that huge voice in brackets and bold letters..._

**(Who, me?) **

_Suzaku: (sweatdrops) You know who you are..._

_Juri: It's not too late, though. From what you told me, Suzaku, CLAMPraven still has to go through the legal/illegal documents with the brainwashed owners of the chocolate factory, before she could do anything else. We still have time!!_

_Suzaku: (blinks) We do?_

_Juri: And let's face it. Even if CLAMPraven does become an akuma, we all still get to fight!_

_Fangirls: (huge evil fangirl grins) Heheheheh..._

_Juri: So what are we waiting for?! Come on, let's go already!!!_

-CLAMPraven 

* * *

~Taikou~

_That...was possibly the weirdest experience I'd ever had in my 18 years..._

_Enri...hugged me...!! He hugged me!!_

_And moreover...I didn't shove him aside or bash his head in with a pink Mizu no Mahou Ryuu...I don't even know how or why I came to have that much self-restraint._

_Something must be seriously wrong with me..._

I glanced at Enri out of the corner of my eye as I twisted the pink strands of my ponytail tentatively, and immediately turned away as I realized he was doing the same. His amethyst gaze was tainted with aurora, and the softest velvety eyelashes...his hair were threads of silk, spun by a morning spider, and glittering in what light there was left in the room. For once, there was some hint of emotion on his pale face, something I've only managed to catch now...

His eyes had such intensity, and it was all directed at me...targeted at the beast that was my sadness, as if with enough concentration, Enri thought his glare alone could penetrate my shell and destroy it.

I raised my eyebrow slightly.

I wanted to ask him why he cared at all. I've seen him give gifts to the harem and keep them company thousands of times, but he never gave a darn about anyone that was not a woman. Which...was the majority of the human population. But he managed to suffice so far.

Maybe it was me...but why now? When a guy knows you for 4 whole years, and he's surprised, there's definitely something serious going on. He never gave a darn before. This...was shocking.

_But strangely enough, I don't hate it...why don't I hate it?!_

_It was funny,_ I thought as I gazed thoughtfully at the floor. _Maybe Otomeza is playing a game with me in this room, or maybe it's just a human instinct. I'd never gotten that much attention from anyone before...or at least, if I did, it usually wasn't the sympathy that Enri felt now. Maybe...even a monk, a simpleton, a servant...needed some sort of care. And maybe, just maybe, this was it...and that is why I haven't pummeled him with my magic, just yet. _

_When I told him the first segment of my past, I felt rushed, like a river, and that I had to tell him something or else a bomb inside me would explode. When I realized what I was doing, I stopped crying, and he stopped being so obvious. But was that the right thing to do, to hide feelings like that? I'd never felt it before...I want to try it again..._

Shaking my head, I cleared my throat, startling Enri for the 3rd time in the past 5 minutes. "Do you want to hear the rest of it?"

Hesitantly, the white-haired monk nodded.

"Good. Because like it or not, here's my whole life story," I winked, knowing that this was no disaster I was running into.

-

_...narrated flashback..._

_I sat in the guest room of the huge mansion, feeling ashamed beyond words. Tugging at the frills of my dress, I waited for my parents to negotiate my work with the master of the house, the young gentleman named Tenkai Ran._

_After that night of listening to my parents, I woke up the next morning to realize that mother had gone out to the market with a generous portion of gold coins, buying what dad said was: a surprise. When she came back, I gaped, unsure of what to make of what I saw. _

_Mother had come home with a dress...a servant girl's dress, no less, made of a scarlet red textile and embroidered with golden thread; there was also a large slit on one side. It was fancy, yet I had no idea why she had gone and brought that home...until I remembered the conversation from the night before. And it nearly made me burst into tears._

_Father was on the verge of selling me to Tenkai Ran, the son of one of the emperor's advisors, and a well-paid one at that. The advisor is old, and Ran was the master of the house, free to do whatever he pleased. He had servants and maids by the dozens in his grand mansion, one of almost imperial splendor, one located at the border between our village and the outskirts of the palace. He had, apparently, bargained with Ran, saying that he had a daughter who was very much in need of a job and was skilled as a maid...and was also 'marvelously beautiful'; the young master consented to an examination of me upon the Sunday, and I was to be dressed accordingly. At first, the rich man had thought Father as just another pitiful peasant, in his rags, but had enough interest in me to look twice on it._

_This hit me like a tsunami. As Mother scurried around the house, trying to find pins for my hair (which was a waist-length braid at the time) and trying to keep my siblings in check all at the same time, Father was sitting in Ran's domain, discussing prices for my work. No one had asked me what I thought about this. No one had bothered. _

_Rei, Arashi, Yoshi and Hikaru crowded around me, jabbering away and marveling at my parents handiwork. Rei and Arashi, my little sisters, were pampering my hair and laughing that their weak, shy big brother had become a beautiful young woman. Rei in particular seemed to like the change...she had my pink eyes and hair, and only needed to take one look at me in my dress to decide that that was the person she wanted to be when she was older; Arashi, with her dark, pondering eyes, stared at the slit on the side of the dress, wondering how it managed to look this nice on a guy. _

_Yoshi was laughing at my make-up to the point where he collapsed on the floor; Hikaru, my youngest brother, who never told a joke nor a lie in his life, thought I was 'drop dead gorgeous'....I nearly had a heart attack before he convinced me that it wasn't suggestive._

_With all of them around me, I couldn't help but smile back...even though I felt pitiful, sitting there in women's attire. Though I figured that it wasn't worth sacrificing my neck to ask why, and even my siblings couldn't help me._

_ I stayed silent, as I should've, as we headed in the direction of the mansion that morning... _

_And as I sat there in the guest room, waiting for the negotiations to end, I felt most desperate._

_Sure, I wasn't going to do labor work anymore. I was going to live. But what for? A few coins to buy meals for my parents to fill their stomachs, and enough humiliation to last me a lifetime. I was being dressed as a girl...and I knew it was the only way I'd survive. I'd said it myself...I was too weak to carry around logs and run alongside the men, but I was delicate enough to pose the role of a maid. This only added to the fact that I looked androgynous enough to pass as either sex._

_But what if he found out? What if Tenkai Ran found out I was a boy? He would surely kill me! But somehow, I knew that my parents didn't care. My sisters and brothers might...but what could they do?_

_My father walked out of the room, already looking the part of a happier man even in his peasant robes, and my mother was too busy drowning Ran in blessings to even see the sadness in my eyes. The young master, a short, ugly youth with a long nose and moles on his chin, leered dangerously at me. _

_And yet I did not cry...I dared not cry..._

_"So, is this to be my servant girl?" Ran mused, scanning over my form. The slit in my dress could not be overlooked, and he grinned lecherously as he saw it. "I might have some fun with her yet. You two are dismissed; she may sleep in the guest rooms tonight, and perhaps..." a smirk, "...my more private quarters."_

_I bit my lip. I didn't dare to snap back at him._ _My bangs covered up my eyes, stun with tears._

_I knew, as evil and sickening as this man was, and as cruel and selfish as my parents were being in delivering my service to him, in the end, there was nothing to be done. _

_From behind my pink bangs, I could see Mom and Dad. They had sheer joy in their eyes...not for me, but for the fact that I was finally going to earn money for the family, and they were going to have enough food and spare coins to live another day. They didn't even try to pretend that wasn't what they wanted, and they were justified as such. How could I not see what they feel? _

_I could not release my anger at them...I should know. It would not do a thing._

_At least this way, someone gains from this experience. I may not make them proud for this undercover crossdressing fiasco, but I will make them happy. As much as I despise the looks on their faces right now, these were the people that raised me, that took care of me. I could not bring myself to harm them. And this way, I could help my little brothers and sisters as well. They needed the money more than anyone else I knew...I couldn't bear it to see their innocence and happiness wiped away because I wouldn't comply._

_Lifting the dress slightly so that I didn't step on the fabric, I bowed solemnly._

_ "Whatever you command of me...Master Tenkai-sama."_

_...narrated flashback..._

_-_

At this point, I paused, trying to remember exactly what happened after that. 

Meanwhile, Enri looked as if lightning had struck him repeatedly while Taiitsu-kun and the Nyan-Nyans crushed mallets into his skull repetitively. Not the most pleasant thing I'd ever seen.

"You...let him look at you like that? You let them treat you that way?! I mean...er...gah! Um..." The white-haired monk was fumbling with his words, trying to cover up the fact that he was shocked and...dare I say it? Concerned...and apologetic, even... 

_This was interesting..._ I noted as I watched him.

After repeated attempts to try and tear his hair out, Enri settled with: "Ugh...I mean, you didn't even start ranting or anything?!"

"I didn't start the whole ranting thing until I got here, remember?" I reminded him.

He blinked. "Wha - ??? Didn't you _always_ used to rant?!"

A shake of my head. "No...not until you guys took me in, a few years after what I've told you about already. I wasn't always as open as I am right now. It was you guys who helped me...you were a lot nicer than Tenkai Ran, of course. I started to speak...soon, I started to converse openly with you guys. I found that I preferred that over being silent. Then and only then did I start to rant when I felt something was unfair...it gave me a chance to project my opinions and, also, to practice my vocab. 

"If nothing had changed since then, I'd probably be silent no matter what. But you guys regained my voice, fought through my barriers so that you can retrieve my happiness again for me, something I thought I'd lost forever. You guys stepped aside so that I could have my space, supported me when I was down, took care of me under all these circumstances. I own you guys everything...yet you have to put up with me as though I was some sort of plague."

Enri whistled, staring up at the ceiling and rocking back and forth. I realized that I had been ranting again, and when he wasn't looking, I slapped myself on the cheek.

"Yeah, I think I remember that, now." 

He turned back to me. "You know, you sounded a lot wiser when you were younger than you are now. You thought more and talked less. This meant that information didn't seep through your lips and out the window as often."

(WHACK!!)

"AAAAAAAUGH!!"

Smirking evilly, I withdrew my fist. 

"It doesn't pay to insult the pink monk. Now, let's see...I was sold to Tenkai Ran that day. He set me up in my own room...though he offered his bed to me. The guy was perverted beyond comparison, but my parents didn't seem to mind. I was to work for him for as long as it took, if he didn't sell me to someone else. 

"Which is what he did, after a while. The guy got tired of my stubborn side, and my delicate condition, and sold me to the owner of an inn, closer to home by a few miles. I still earned money for my parents...twice as much as I was offered in Ran's work, because the inn keeper saw that I had long fingers and could probably play music with training. He taught me how to play the flute...since I'd played it before, I was a fast learner, and caught up on it quickly. 

"Soon, I could play in front of crowds. I would sometimes dance as well, if I felt strong enough, but I was still fairly weak, and I would collapse at times. I was still undercover as a girl, getting prettier and prettier as I grew up, my hair left to grow to waist-length, then knee-length...people loved its softness, and they would stare at it and wonder how I kept it that way. They'd follow me around...huh. It was hard to pretend I was a girl with that kind of attention. I'd had some close encounters of getting caught undressing before, too, now that I think about it; I had to be super careful.

"I got to see my parents about once every 4 weeks. My brothers and sisters finally caught on to what was going on, and realized just where the money flow was coming from. They gave me flowers to make me smile; they even put together all their money to buy me candy...it was such a luxury that they didn't have enough of it for themselves, only for me. I was grateful for them, because although my parents were just as cruel and unexplainable as ever, they were still the children they used to be. 

"I was almost 13 when the inn keeper sold me again, this time to one of the government officials; he was tired of me fainting on stage. By this time, my parents were living a normal wealth, not like the poor, dirty peasants they were before. But they continued to borrow from my wealth. I couldn't get to see my brothers and sisters again...Rei and Arashi cried on my sleeves. 

"This time, however, it was different. The government official had lived directly in the capital...having visited my parents one last time, I set off to go with him; from then on, I sent my money back to them by cart delivery, but always kept a little tip for myself, in case there was something I liked." 

"That was smart," Enri remarked, grinning. "Even if they do know something's missing, you'd be living in the capital. They wouldn't be able to catch you."

I nodded. "Believe it or not, there are hundreds of stories I can tell of this. I'll try to reduce it to just a few, for now. Tenkai Ran...the inn keeper...the government official...from there, I got passed on to at least 20 more masters. Some of them, like Ran, I could remember...they were usually the more lecherous ones. Memories of the others were a bit vague...they weren't kind, nor were they cruel. I don't think I've ever had a master who treated me well...I think the only things that kept me sane were my letters, to my sisters and brothers. They grew up over the years...they wrote to me nearly every day. They blocked out most of the pain of having to suffer with my traveling...before my family moved to a larger house and I lost track of them altogether, and I could neither send money back or letters...it was freedom, but it was far from what I wanted, as I drifted further and further towards the center of the capital."

In my sitting, I could hear Enri moving closer to me. A touch, light as a feather, was felt on my hand.

"This is when you met us...right?"

Curiosity got the better of me. Looking up, and immediately regretting it, I saw his eyes, piercing into me like sharp amethysts, concerned eyes that questioned my well-being...I turned away, blushing.

_I'd seen the eyes of hundreds of men and women...masters, servants, my brothers and sisters, other poor children like me, even male suitors that stalked me as I worked back then...the eyes of the past. I'd seen the eyes of Priest Seiun, the eyes of the miko and seishi, burning red eyes like Juri's and multi-colored eyes like CLAMPraven's, elegant eyes like Heika-sama's and even godly eyes of Byakko and Suzaku...eyes of the present._

_Never had I seen anything nearly as intense as Enri's gaze. Ever._

_He'd better not be reading my mind right now...I don't have direct eye contact with him, so he shouldn't be..._

_Why is he so close? He shouldn't be this close...!!_

"Do you want to hear the rest of the story or not?!" I blurted out without thinking.

A pause.

"Actually, I..."

Enri's hand removed itself from mine...then wrapped his arms around my chest, catching me by surprise. His chin leaned against my neck, almost close enough to touch my collarbone. His breathing made my skin tingle. 

"I think that..." I heard him murmur into my clothes, "...this is the part where we meet you, right? If it hurts you to keep telling your past, or something, I can take over from this point..."

My heartbeat pumped so high at this, I thought I'd go through the roof. I knew he was only hugging me to keep me from breaking into tears again. I knew he wasn't doing this because he was okama and/or corrupt. I knew he was _trying_ to calm me, and tell me everything was alright, but...

_Why the heck does it feel like a groping session?!_

_AAAARGH!! Maybe it's just me being paranoid...he obviously doesn't know that I'm embarrassed by this, and -_

_He probably doesn't care either._

_Shut up!!! Er...he doesn't know and he's innocent and he isn't gay or anything and at least I hope he's not so I shouldn't be whacking him just yet especially since he's way stronger than me and oh gods I just KNOW Otomeza's behind this..._

I winced.

_What...the hell...am I thinking...?!?_

"Are you okay with this?"

My eyes practically bulged out. "Wha-?!?" Did he just read my mind again, or something?

"I know you're probably embarrassed," Enri continued, in a barely audible whisper. "I can let go if you want."

His chin grazed my collarbone softly, as he mused on.

"It's just that when I hugged you just now, to keep you from crying any more...you know what that reminded me of? The first time we met...it might sound retarded, coming from me, but I guess I just wanted to test and see if it felt the same, now that I know you're not a woman, like you were pretending to be back then. You remember, right?"

Pausing, I turned this over in my head. Yes...it had felt the same... "I remember. The first time we met...that was about...4 years ago. When I was just fourteen. Yes...I remember that completely.!"

"Yeah, I figured you would." Enri chuckled lightly. "Your hair might not be nearly floor-length like it was back then, but you still manage to keep it in perfect condition, don't you?"

"Of course! I happen to be very proud of my one-of-a-kind pink hair, and I take care of my hair better than any other guy, and you know it!"

Enri looked amused. "Even better than Heika-sama? Isn't that just a tad bit...oh, I don't know...vain?"

I considered this for a second. But only for a second. "Not really. It's more or less the truth, I think." My eyebrows furrowed as I counted my hair-care remedies on my fingers. "I brush it at least five times a day, keep it outside so that it'd get fresh air and sunlight, never let anything dirty or oily in it - that includes my fingers, or at least I try - because it'd look terrible, and wash it only with the cleanest water from the creek, usually with rose petals and chrysanthemums...oh, and I also used some of those soaps you bought for the harem, the lily-scented ones that you always forget to take. I practically live on those. They're really nice, you know...they keep my hair from tangling or static, and - oh, shoot...did I rant again?"

Huge sweatdrop. "...Well, at least it wasn't one of the hour-long ones..."

Even bigger sweatdrop. "Ehehehehehehe..."

"You realize...you've practically forgotten that I'm still hugging you. And I'm calling you by your real name."

"...Oh, yeah...strange, ne?"

"I guess this means we can continue with the bonding session. You've told me a lot about your past already...I could've figured it out by reading your mind, but this makes it more interesting. Now I know what happened before you came here." A pause. Then, "It's not something to be scared of, Taikou. You didn't have to run out on Juri and the others because one little question reminded you of it. And you weren't even right...you do have people who love you. If we didn't, we wouldn't have taken you out of that last job you were in. The one in the restaurant; it was disgusting. But we cared about you enough to get you out of that hellpit. Ne?"

Holding onto his pale hands, although I was barely aware of it at that time, I sighed softly. 

_He was right...he was right. There are people who love me. Maybe not my parents, but my sisters and brothers, Priest Seiun, the gods, the seishi, Juri and CLAMPraven and..._

_And him._

_He loved me. Enri loved me. I wonder...to what extent?_

"Enri...you have a better memory than me. Do you remember the night you and Seiun first met me?"

A scoff. "Well, that's a dumb question. How can I forget?"

A giggle. "Figures..."

-

~Enri~

*/You asked me if I remember. You should know...I remember it as if it were yesterday. We both did. It was the best thing that could've happened...to me, to you, to Seiun, to the Mikoto shrine...to everyone./*

_...narrated flashback..._

_Lightning cracked against the window, followed by roaring thunder that tore apart the abstract darkness. I stared out at it, wondering when the incessant pounding of the rain would stop. _

_The stark night gave no answer._

_Shaking my head, I turned my attention back to the cooling dinner. Trying my best to ignore the terrible weather, I held the spoon, stirring the congee in the bowl, and slowly luring myself to sleep..._

_"ENRI!!"_

_I dropped the spoon with a CLANG! onto the side of the bowl. It sank in the congee. _

_Exasperated, I looked up at Priest Seiun. "Nani?"_

_The priest sighed. "Hm. You were falling asleep again, Enri! Accidentally, of course, but your face would be imprinted in that congee instead of your spoon by now if I hadn't stopped you, hm!"_

_He glared disdainfully down at his own bowl, and I could tell that he wasn't exactly perky about the meal, either. "I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone, hm! Their soups are so sticky, even more than usual, as if the concoction doesn't get stuck in my beard enough, hm!!" To demonstrate, he held up a spoonful of it to his mouth, but it ended up dribbling all across the white hairs. "Gah!! I feel like a baby who can't even feed himself!"_

_I couldn't help but smirk at the failed attempt. The priest never liked sticky foods, but loved his beard so much that he couldn't bear to cut it off. He'd had it ever since the first war, between Konan and Sairou, back when he was just a lowly orphan. It was more valuable than gold to him. _

_"You can wash your beard off when we get back out into the rain, Seiun-sama...at this rate, you'll have at least until tomorrow night to soak before we get back to the palace," I joked lightly._

_(WHACK!!!)_

_"OW!!!" I clutched my head. "Seiun-sama, not in public, damn it!!!"_

_The tiny old man withdrew the metal kendo stick, grinning like a madman. _

_"I know this is for disciplinary purposes only, but it can be so much fun! Hm! Sometimes I wish I had more dumb pupils like you to whack over the head with! It teaches you instantly to obey, hm!"_

_I rubbed the sore spot, glaring while he smiled toothily from ear to ear. "Yeah, well - "_

_"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!! Let me go!!!"_

_We immediately stopped, and jerked our heads in the direction of the voice. Whereas the kendo stick didn't attract people's attention, this most certainly did._

_At one corner of the dining area, the restaurant owner was clutching the arm of a young girl, who couldn't have been more than 14 years old, slightly younger than I was. The maiden was dressed in an entertainer's attire, her dresses mildly torn, struggling to get away from the older man, and screaming while she was at it. Her hair and her eyes, I noticed, were a pink hue, unlike any I'd ever seen before. The restaurant owner was trying to keep her still; he held a knife in his hand. _

_"Shut up, bitch!" The huge mustached man roared, shaking the knife at her roughly chopped hair. "Why did you cut off all of your pink hair, huh?! It was perfect, and it attracted royalty here to see you!! It was the only reason I took you in, the only reason I let you perform, even though you're so damn weak!!" He slammed her onto the floor, knocking over a table in the process, eyes burning. "Now it's only a measly shoulder-length...most boys have hair longer than that!!"_

_The servant girl could barely muster the strength to look back at him, her body trembling on the floor, her hand holding the collapsed table for balance. She stared at the owner with widened, terrified eyes...then her brows furrowed, decisively._

_"I refuse to be a toy for you...you hentai!! I can't stand it!" She hissed, followed by an audible gasp from her master. "All you do is run your fingers through my hair, every day..." Thin, delicate fingers touched the shortened pink strands. "I won't stand for it...as long as I'm alive, you shall never run your hands through my hair ever again!"_

_"Why, you - "_

_"Don't touch her."_

_Both the restaurant owner and the servant girl stared at me incredulously. It was at this point in time when I realized that I had, without acknowledging it, stood up and walked over to the scene. A red smoke was rising from my robes, from my feet on the wooden floor and from my white strands of hair; a great scarlet orb of ki was floating directly above my palm. _

_Without knowing it, I had just poised for attack. For the catastrophic blast of the Hi no Mahou Houou, my most complicated and forceful spell._

_But the anger was justified. I could never bring myself to watch as a woman is hurt by an uncaring man. My anger is barely under control as it pounded furiously in my chest, the driving force of my outrageous strength. _

_This was what made me so powerful as a Mikoto worshipper...this is the feminism that made me what I am. _

_"Let her be," I repeated firmly, the deadly red orb threatening in my hand. "You obviously don't know how to take good care of a woman. Ignore the hair...it does not make her the person that she is; they are only the outer petals of a beautiful flower. They'll grow back, no matter how you pluck them, if you'd be patient. If you don't amend your ways, then she will work with you no more."_

_I glanced to the side, to see that the young maiden was staring at me, awestruck. Despite the fact that her hair was now short, she was still very pretty. Not to mention she was in the rare perfect position for a mind-reading, with her direct eye contact, and all...but now was not the time. Maybe afterwards._

_"What do you mean by that?" The restaurant owner turned to me with a sneer. "What do you mean 'she will work with you no more'? What are you...planning to buy her from me if I abuse her any more? I paid big money for this girl...she's a flutist, a servant girl, and a cook all rolled into one. I can beat her if I want." He scoffed. "I doubt a little monk like you can pay the price I'm offering for her, when you can't even pay for a decent meal. Don't think I hadn't noticed...you and the old man picked the cheapest item on the menu on purpose!"_

_I grimaced despite myself. _

_He was right. I couldn't deny that. We were just simple monks. We had little to no money...how could we ever buy the maiden away from her chores, especially if she was good at multitasking? Skills like that cost extra!_

_Slowly, the angry ki surrounding me vaporized into thin air; from the corner of my eye, I could see that the girl's hope was floating away along with it, as tears started to gleam in her eyes once again. She was slowly shaking her head, her lips parted, mouthing 'no' repeatedly, as if denying this could happen. All around us, there were concerned murmurs coming from the customers. _

_An evil grin made its way onto the restaurant owner's features. "Now, if you're done - "_

_"STOP!!"_

_Blinking, I turned around, to see Priest Seiun behind me. Before I could even ask why, his body started to glow with a golden light, his palms pressed together to emit the heavenly glow. A few days after this incident, I would've realized that there was something between his palms - a single golden coin._

_"KOGANE FUKUSEI!!" Seiun smiled. "Time to duplicate the gold, hm!"_

_And instantly, golden coins rained from the ceiling, all around the restaurant. The customers gasped, and the owner goggled, jaw flapping but not managing to get out a single word in his shock; I myself was completely taken off guard, and it took the coins hitting me on the head for me to realize this wasn't just an illusion. Seiun watched over us, smirking triumphantly._

_"That ought to be enough to buy the girl," He remarked smoothly to the owner, rubbing his hands together. "The transaction is complete. Unless there's anything else, hm?"_

_The man was babbling incoherently. "B-B-But..."_

_"Ah!" The young girl sighed, as she cupped her hands together to catch the gleaming golden coins, which were still falling, her eyes lit with joy. All around us, the customers in the restaurant were doing the same. Soon, she tore her eyes away from the money and turned to us, not knowing exactly how to begin expressing her gratitude._

_However, that was not a problem at the time._

_"YOU CRAZY, BALD BASTARD!!!" I screamed, shaking Seiun by the collar. "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME YOU HAD A GOLD DUPLICATING SPELL, HUH?!? ALL THIS TIME, WE SUFFERED OVER AND OVER, WHILE YOU COULD'VE AFFORDED MORE THAN THAT DAMNED STINKING CONGEE!!!"_

_Seiun, between shakes, managed to raise a finger. "But...monks...must...learn...to...live...mode...rate...ly...hm!!!"_

_"HM, MY ASS!!! WE NEARLY DIDN'T GET THE GIRL!!! F*CKING SCREWED UP OLD LUNATIC...!!!!"_

_I had never sweared more in my life than I had that night. It was roughly midnight, when we were riding back in the direction of the palace from our long trip to the markets in Sairou, and when I finally stopped fumng, that the girl and I got to introducing ourselves._

_Her name was Taikou._

_God...if I only knew how the meaning of that name would change one strange day in the hot springs..._

_...narrated flashback..._

-

Taikou nearly choked. "You remember the hot springs, too?!?"

We were now lying on the floor of the praying room, instead of hugging each other so tightly. It was too hard to maintain eye contact that way, and a tad bit uncomfortable. Now, we could giggle and tease all we wanted...just not so close.

"As if anyone could ever forget the hot springs!" I grinned, resisting the urge to whack his cute little pink head. "In case you need a reminder, that was where we found out you were a guy!"

"In a way, I guess it was kind of a relief," he chuckled. "I had to hide in the hot springs every single day, and post signs outside that said that I was in there and you guys weren't allowed in! That was a pain..."

"Until the one day you forgot, and I walked in on you!" I pointed out. "Ne...I still remember the exact look on my face when I saw you there, and realized you had a flat chest!"

"Can you still imitate it?"

"I think! Here, give me one second..." I sat up slightly, and contorted my face to one of shock so great I hadn't seen the likes of it in at least three or so years. When Taikou caught sight of this, the first time, he nearly killed himself on it. Now, he was laughing and crying at the face until he had a bellyache. 

"Oh, geez, and I thought you'd lost the talent!" He gasped as soon as he could stop his giggling fits.

I was laughing pretty hard myself. But I wasn't laughing so blindly that I didn't notice the man beside me, and how amazing he truly was.

A few years ago, I would've called Taikou a boy, hands down. Now, as I saw him with color in his face, happiness in his eyes, and even more perfect hair than before, now that he got rid of that split ends problem, what I saw was the perfect man. Underneath that, however, is the heart of gold that only a young girl can possess. This made, altogether, the perfect person. 

Up until now, I wasn't sure who this gorgeous man belonged with. At first, I thought that it was nobody. He was a monk after all, and he was like a treasure that seemed always off limits. He was weak, and ranting all the time, but I thought that perhaps he was above all of us, in his own special way.

Then, I thought maybe he was CLAMPraven's perfect man. But up until he told me today that he had so many younger siblings, I hadn't considered the fact that maybe CLAMPraven's just one of them, to him. I had a feeling that if the girl with different-colored eyes and the charming Nyan-Nyan smile eventually got married to a certain bandit, whom I've seen her hanging around with more than often enough, and moved off into the mountains, he would be right there, wishing them the best of luck.

Now, I considered myself. Taikou is beautiful...sincere, kind, and nearly untouchable in his loveliness. But as I saw him now, he was just a kid, laughing and joking like anyone else. It took me one whole bonding session that felt like it took 4 hours, just to see that child. 

And now that I do, I've fallen in love with him.

"Enri?"

I bounced back into reality, to see pink eyes staring directly into mine. I gazed into them, silently wondering.

*/No...I don't think I've ever read his mind before...in fact, I'm not sure I even can.../*

*/But I can read his heart any day of the week./*

*/But.../*

*/Nah...who cares about chastity at a time like this, anyway?!/*

In a lightning motion, I had reached over with one hand, pulled out the cord that bound his silky hair back, and kissed him for all I was worth.

*/Taikou...you beautiful thing.../*

*/Now, let's see you try to run away from my love.../*

* * *

**(...)**

**(Ahem. No second author's note today. The chapter has been long enough already.)**

(The voice in brackets and bold letters is immediately pelted by a shower of assorted vegetables.)

**(AAAAAGH!!! STOP!!)**

(The voice steps out of the shadows. It...or rather, she...was revealed to be a very well-endowed, indigo-haired, owl-eyed, Ifurita look-alike in a bodysuit. The secretary of CLAMPraven, known simply as 'La Fille Noir'.)

**(AHEM!!! Well, the jig is up. It shall be admitted that these things are harder to come up with and follow than they look! Considering that CLAMPraven sets a schedule for herself to have a deadline in the middle of the week, and since this is a rush job, we cannot exactly come up with anything at the moment. We're very sorry, and as insane as CLAMPraven is, she is 30% Junior High honor roll student, 50% crazy fanfic author akuma, 10% white chocolate maniac and 10% multi-dimensional traveling raven, which means that she has exactly the amount of hard time finding time, as a normal human being, if not more. As far as we're concerned, she isn't anything else, so she deserves the same amount of patience as the rest of you. Ne?)**

**(Now, be nice and know that she works very hard on these things no matter what, and has a hard time editing and keeping herself condensed. In other words, she does neither of these two things, and it would be a good idea to keep on her better side when you review. Given that you are going to review, right...? (stares pointedly at the button))**

-CLAMPraven 


	32. Forbidden Love in the Eyes of Stars' Ho...

**"Juri"**

**-from girl to oracle-**

**By CLAMPraven**

* * *

~ Forbidden Love in the Eyes of Stars ~

Part 31 of the Legend of Juri - Hope

* * *

(The room is darkly illuminated, with the exception of a few dim lights. Faint shapes could be made out...a huge table, shadows looming over it, and a very distinctive Nyan-Nyan-like figure...)

So, gentlemen...(rubs hands together while smirking menacingly)...here are the documents you need to sign. (pushes the 183 paged document towards each of them) Ehehe...nothing really. Basically, they state that all of your white chocolate factories, from now on, shall only be used to make chocolate for me and no one else, for the rest of however many lifetimes I choose to live. (dismisses this with a flick of her hand) Ah, details, details! (claps) So, agreed?

(CLAMPraven looks around for approval, then remembers that her 'audience' was a bunch of brain-dead chocolate factory owners, who were currently engaged in leaving drool puddles on the table. Sighing and shifting awkwardly in her chair, she claps again for the Nyan-Nyans to take the hands of the owners and mimic their signatures. After this, she promptly jumps through the roof in ecstasy.) 

(Meanwhile...) 

(Suzaku and co. are racing through CLAMPraven's diabolical and mysterious mansion, in which she is hosting the meeting, with Suzaku and Byakko at the head of the line, and poor Nuri-chan lugging the huge bag of explosives at the tail. However, they meet their first problem, a security fence. In the middle of the hall. Yes, CLAMPraven's mind is a strange and warped dimension all on its own, and this was just one of the obstacles. And it was not so easily passed...)

_Byakko: OUCH!!!_

_Suzaku: (hissing from underneath) BE CAREFUL, DAMN IT!! _

_Byakko: (hisses back) But it's BARBED WIRE!!!_

_Juri: That's nothing. (points ahead) We still have to de-activate the electric fence, the lasers, the faulty Sakura Griffin statue that shoots out toxins, the radioactive footstools..._

_Byakko: (shudders) This whole place is a booby trap!!!_

_Nuriko: WE KNOW THAT ALREADY!! (glares disdainfully at the explosives) Another few minutes, and it's all yours, Seiryuu!_

_Seiryuu: Ne...but you still have to drag it over the barbed wire before your shift is done. (grins evilly)_

_Byakko: Urg...(tries to flip himself over the barbed wire fence in the middle of the hall, and immediately pricks his butt) Gah!! (tries to whack the fence, but pricks his hand) GAH!! How will we ever get to the conference room to stop CLAMPraven?!_

_Otaku Pitcher: (teary eyes) If only my Chichiri-chan is here!! _

_(And suddenly, as if on cue, Chichiri appears out of nowhere, back from the Inu-Yasha land which we do not own...)_

_Chichiri: I'm back, na no da! And just in time to help, no da! _

_Chichiri: (eyes immediately bulge out as he sees Otaku Pitcher) Daaaa....(sweatdrops)_

(And, of course...)

_Otaku Pitcher: (flings herself at the chibi-monk) **CHICHIRI!!!!!!!** (glomps fiercely as the monk flails his arms around)_

_Chibigreenwizardmon: (winces) Wow...she is really obsessed, isn't she?_

_Draconsis: Well, at least Chichiri is an anime character...if his limbs get broken this way, he can probably reassemble himself together by the next author's note...eheheheheh..._

(And as all bloody hell breaks loose, and Otaku Pitcher squeezes the life out of her idol, while Byakko continues to prick his butt on the barbed wire, much to Suzaku's delight...we shall leave off for the story...)

-CLAMPraven 

* * *

~Taikou~

I gasped, tearing myself away from the sweet kiss. Panting heavily, I stared into those soft eyes, those succulent lips, the thick strands of silk that still lingered over my face as I lay beneath him, the luxurious scent of his skin, the enigma that was him and him alone.

_What...what just happened?_

Struggling, I sat up, my face etched with shock. "W...Why did you...?"

But Enri only smiled. Threads of white silk fell into his vision. "You know the answer to that already, you baka." Raising a hand slowly, he snaked his fingers through my sakura hair, caressing it as though it were the most valuable treasure in the world. "You know I love you. And don't think that it matters to me that we're making out in the praying room of a Koudoutai Shrine. We were destined to find each other, and I know the Mikotos understand love...I read it in at least one of the tankoubons. They accept us, Taikou-chan...I know they do. And I know what I feel for you is best."

"You love me..." Lips slightly parted, eyes glistening, I felt like the fledgling swallow who finally learned to fly, to feel the air underneath his wings lifting him up through the clouds, as he gazes into the heavens, splashes of sunlight dancing on his wings.

_I knew nothing, and yet I felt everything. I felt..._

_Beloved. _

_Not just by anyone, either. This...was my soul mate..._

_The last half an hour had been almost too crazy to believe. Enri stops teasing me, starts paying more attention to me than he had to anyone else in his whole life...and the fact that he loved me was like the icing on the cake. He expected me to believe...that his destiny...was to be my soul mate. _

_The two of us...two men, bound together by this eternal love, that was discovered in the most recent 30 minutes. And he expected me to throw myself at that belief, trust in it more than the belief that we owned the Mikotos._

_Well, it's definitely working...how about that?_

The same pink blush had crept up to my cheeks a thousand times...what made it so special this time was that I did not turn away as I blushed. A simple act of willpower, like that...changed everything.

_Enri...thank you..._

Leaning into my boyfriend's face, with more gratitude than imaginable, I placed on his perfect lips a beautiful second kiss, one that I will remember for years and years to come...

-

~Aya~

When Taikou leaned in for that second kiss, I nearly started laughing and crying at the same time. For the standards of the Otomeza no Mikoto...that was very, very bad...

Still invisible, I leaned in towards the two of them, zipping around in midair and marveling at every angle. When the second kiss was broken, they started a third. When the third was broken, they started a fourth.

I nearly went overboard. 

_How can they keep doing that without running out of air?!_ I wondered, zooming in for yet another close up. _This was a heck of a better show than I had come for. I know I have to warn CLAMPraven and her friends about the dangers ahead, but this was just too delicious to resist!!_

After roughly the seventh kiss was broken, Enri collapsed on top of Taikou, smiling as he nuzzled his koibito's pink hair. His eyes were closed, as were Taikou's...both of them were quiet for a moment, indulging in each other's presence. Eventually, the white-haired monk's lips parted, to mouth the phrase that meant everything, barely audibly...

"Ai shiteru..."

And after gazing lovingly at one another for a very extended period of time, they resumed their regularly scheduled smooching.

My heart promptly melted like chocolate. A phrase automatically popped up in my own mind, something that I wouldn't normally think or say, except if I was mimicking a certain purple-haired Shichiseishi who looked exactly like me...

_Ehehehehehehehehe._

-

~CLAMPraven~

"Sh!!!"

"What the f*ck - "

"Did you hear it?!"

"What?!"

SLAP. "As if you didn't f*cking know!!! The giggling? The sexually-aroused gasping? The fact that there are two people smooching in the praying room, you redheaded baka?!?"

"DON'T SLAP ME!! Shit...why the hell are we even doing this?! If you wanted to spy on the damn couple, I sure as hell ain't supposed to be involved in helping you with your f*cking dirty work..."

"Just shut up already, okay?!"

Alright. So the two of us weren't really supposed to be there, standing outside of the Koudoutai praying room and listening to the naughty sounds coming from inside. But what else could we do?

The meeting was dismissed, and everyone flooded out of the main room of the shrine, after Irasa's spectacular show of skills. Juri went back to see Suzaku, all the while wondering what the hell the Medusa girl meant by 'showing your love', and blushing at the suggestiveness of it all. Irasa, on the other hand, followed Hotohori out quite happily. I think the emperor was going to put her talent to use, relieving her of her servant duties and letting her become a part of the battle against Tenbinza no Mikoto Hitori. After all, a Medusa doesn't come to your doorstep very often, even if she's only partially one.

I figured that, since I had nothing else to do, I'd go back to the library and see if I could find anything else at all on Hitori, and maybe come up with some sort of a strategy on how to save Juri and Suzaku from utter annihilation. 

That's when I heard it.

Laughter, coming from the inside of the Koudoutai praying room. At first, it was very faint, so I brushed it off and continued walking. Then, when the same sound hit me again, I realized that there was not one voice, but two, laughing together. Puzzled, I leaned closer to the door; there was a lovers' conversation going on. Definitely. Hell, I had no idea who it was, or what it was, but it was probably not Tamahome and Miaka...those two had already gone back to their chambers, and it wasn't likely for them to have any conversation consisting of more than their own names. 

Then, just when I thought it was getting boring, there was a sudden snap, then something that sounded like an abrupt kiss. My eyes bulged out; the suspense was killing me. Somebody else had to know about this. 

Naturally, I grabbed the nearest person, who happened to have been walking down the hall as well...the fang baka himself.

And this is exactly why the two of us were rammed up against the iron doors ear-first, listening intently to the smooching that was getting more and more frequent, and wondering just how shameless we could be. 

"So..." Tasuki hissed back, after a long pause, "Who are they, anyhow?"

I frowned. "I'm not sure. I haven't had the chance to look yet."

The bandit's jaw dropped. He stared at me incredulously.

I blinked. "What?"

"You still haven't taken a look at them?!" His amber eyes were wide with shock, as if there was some universal knowledge that he knew and I didn't. "What the hell do you mean?"

"Should I have?! How the f*ck do you peek at them without them noticing you, then?" My arms folded as I glared challengingly at him. "Huh?"

"Simple. You transform into something small enough to fit underneath the door and see what you see." Tasuki folded his arms in turn, grinning at his own genius. "You can transform into any animal in Konan; the space between the iron door and the floor is only about two inches, so any small lizard or a rat would do the trick, preferably something with vision as accurate or more than a human's, so that you really get an eyeful. Ne?"

There was yet another long pause, the silence only broken by the sound of more intense kissing.

A huge sweatdrop hung off the side of my head, as Tasuki nodded, smirking all the while.

"..._Oh._"

Ten seconds later...

"But what if they have traps? Poison? Moth balls, for Suzaku's sake?!"

"Too f*cking late now! Come on!"

Grumbling relentlessly, and trying my best to keep my voice down, I (i.e. white mouse with cerulean and turquoise eyes, who looked far too angry for the average household animal) squeezed my huge rump through the two-inch gap of the floor, with a little help from giant Tasuki's boot. With an enormous scowl, I crawled across the floor for a closer look...

And gasped in horror.

A mouse has a fairly decent vision. Through those eyes, I caught radiant flashes of white hair, combined with fiery flashes of pink hair, entangled in their own Koudoutai monk robes, with lips and tongues moving against one another's passionately on the wooden floor...

And in that mouse body, my human heart nearly stopped.

Pink...and white hair?! Taikou...Taikou and Enri...together...

Memories raced through my head...Enri had gone to comfort Taikou after he ran off...now I knew where it happened. I knew it was in there. It was now. And it wasn't stopping...the blur of movement, of love...it wouldn't stop...

My head spun uncontrollably as the image of the two men continued to blind me...

It won't stop...gods, why wouldn't it stop?!

Kissing and groping, hugging and touching...two monks, two men, two lovers, Enri and...

Taikou...

With my mind whirling, swirling, blocking out all other senses, my instincts drove me immediately out, my legs flailing wildly as I scampered out, confused and running away from them, through the gap into outside, as fast as I could manage, as fast as my heart would allow...

Taikou...he loved Enri...that would mean...

He doesn't love me.

It's no use to think of him...as beautiful as he is, with that cherry blossom hair and those cherry blossom eyes and the perfect cherry blossom smiles...

He can never care for me...that way.

As soon as I rushed out the door, I immediately altered my form; in a blast of fizzing smoke, I was once again human. Blundering ahead mindlessly, I brushed past a stunned Tasuki with not a single word. 

Making a turn at the hall, I rushed faster than a raging gust...

-

~Tasuki~

CLAMPraven barely brushed me as she raced down the hall, on her way out of the building. Her expression was miserable, and hard to look at, but I didn't have to. She ran past me as though I wasn't even there, and with an aura of rage that I didn't understand. It was almost as fierce as the one she wore when we first met Enri, and he read her mind without permission.

//What the hell just happened in there?!//

"CLAMPraven!!" I shouted. 

She didn't stop...didn't even register my words. 

But I wasn't about to chase after the Nyan-Nyan. Oh, no...this time, I was going to stand firm, and not go and get my ass insulted again. This time, I was going to think a little before I acted. I knew I didn't have my seishi power anymore...as if I didn't remember. Hitori wiped out all our seishi powers when he banished Suzaku. So it wouldn't be very smart to go blindly chasing after CLAMPraven, especially since she could change into any animal she wanted and when she was in as bitchy a mood as she was now.

//This time, I would try again with my head. What the f*ck would someone like Chichiri or Juri do at a time like this?//

//Well...I guess _that's _worth a try.//

"CLAMPraven, matte yo!!!" Standing in place, I hollered down the hall again, more forcefully this time. "Don't make me have to f*cking chase you again!! I'm not in the mood to repeat that twice!!! I know you're not that dumb, and neither am I!!"

The girl paused in mid-step.

I continued. "Don't you be running away from me. That's a shitty tactic, especially when you're afraid. I know you've got the upper hand physically, so I'm not about to be the fanged baka that you guys think I am by taking another wrong move with you when you're this pissed off. But you're not thinking!!"

By now, CLAMPraven had turned around. Her different-colored eyes were huge, like someone witnessing a miracle. In a way, I guess I was pretty shocked, too. For once, I've got the upper hand mentally...that's never happened before. But for once, I actually knew what I was saying...!

"Listen. I don't know what the hell it is you're afraid of, but running away ain't helped you before," I concluded, reaching out my hand. "There is no way in hell I'd force you to tell me what got you so f*cking steamed...not right now, not by next week, if you prefer. But please..._please_," I choked out an emphasis on the word, a word that I'd usually avoid like a plague, "don't ever try and run away. You are not that weak. Or do you need to take some self-help classes with Juri to figure that out?"

The Nyan-Nyan was shocked, and stared at my outstretched hand as though it was the hand of a god. After a few patient seconds, however, she started walking back towards me. A few more seconds, and her tiny hand was in mine. 

Her first words? "I don't know when you grew up, but I think this Tasuki is definitely going to be harder to get used to. And as for what happened..."

I grinned, full-fanged. "You going to tell me later?"

Her eyes were still a bit narrowed, as if in anger, and a bit shiny. Her lips were still pinched. But it was better than what she started out with, because she managed to throw me an unexpected half-smile.

"Later," She nodded. 

-

~Jenny~

Sitting on the steps outside Hotohori's flower garden, feeling the gentle touches of the afternoon breeze against my face, I polished my lantern, whilst humming a soft tune forlornly. The sky was a still, quiet blue abyss all on its own, gazing over butterflies dancing across the dew-covered fields serenely...there was not a single cloud to disturb its harmony. Smells of sweet flowers loomed around me, and I breathed them in gratefully.

This is a truly beautiful day...

The lantern looked a bit old now, and slightly rusty, I thought with a small, content smile. It had aged through all its battles, as have I. We are both a bit wiser, throughout the weeks. In my heart, I felt as though I had been here all my life, as if this strange and wonderful Fushigi Yuugi was all I knew, and nothing beyond. Memories of Toronto and the life I once had only drifted to be a miserable weight at the bottom of my heart, since I knew I could not have them back, but memories of things that had happened in the Universe of the four gods made me remember just what I had, and how much I'd worked to get as far as I had.

From a girl to an oracle. From an oracle to a leader, a lover, a revolutionary. That was my legacy.

Gosh...and I can still remember the beginning of it all...

My mind drifted back to the day when I first opened up the book in the library, saw in its pages Suzaku smiling at me, and got whisked into this mysterious world. With help from Nuriko, I adapted, and with help from Miaka, they finally understood why I couldn't talk; the days I had to act as a mute seemed so distant...! And just when Suzaku fixed my voice, I had to go back to the library and research again. I came with nothing...and yet I left with everything. 

Of course, there were other items of importance to me, as well, all of them reminding me of the times I had. There was that journal that Miaka first gave me when I came, which I wrote only one entry in...I couldn't help but go back and laugh at how silly it all seemed back then. 

There was Chiriko-chan's rope leash, which Seiun-sama had the courtesy to return to me after the poor creature was frozen; I kept it at my bedside, as a memory of the dog demon that helped us save Chichiri after the avalanche, and fought against Hitori for us. I still had a hard time believing that he was evil, but in the end, I suppose the curse was beyond his control. The rope leash was also a constant reminder of the red-eyed demons that I knew were still out there...even though I changed the future, I knew that they would probably try and curse Hotohori and Mitsukake, as in the original.

I also still had the golden amulet...even now, I sometimes forget about it, but it was a token of my lover's, the power of endurance and the love that he gave me...it was locked into the amulet, the kanji for gold.

Looking away from the shiny bracelet, I suppressed a shudder. The world was so cruel at times, it breaks down the weak and leave the strong with little more than desperation. This is the same cruelty that wiped out the love that we had worked so hard to maintain. 

Except now that there is no 'we'...the darkness threatens to destroy all that I had managed to do...

"Ohayo..."

Blinking, I twisted my head in the direction of the voice. 

"It's...it's you..."

Suzaku smiled kindly, joining me on the small steps. His hair was combed neatly, his clothes loose on his lithe body. They were different ones than the ones that he normally wore, and one size too big, which made him look distinctively smaller. The servants must have gotten around to getting him dressed...otherwise, he looked healthy, almost normal. But not quite.

I wasn't about to forget that easily.

Still surprised at his unexpected presence, I managed a tentative smile back at him, before returning my attention to the polishing of the lantern. "Ohayo, Suzaku..."

My mind drifted once again, back to the meeting. I had hoped to find a definite answer for my Suzaku, but there were so many different opinions of love...! Everyone seemed to think something else. Miaka and Tamahome compared it to their favorite things, money and food; they were the more fortunate couple of the bunch, who believed that love could only be the best thing. Others, like Chichiri and Mitsukake, think of it as though it were some sort of an old infection that they dared not treat; Chichiri's opinion of love always drifted back to that one moment when everything collapsed down on him...Mitsukake had two of those times, the first death and the afterlife reunion! They knew how it could both be sweet and bitter at the same time. Taikou had obviously thought it was too awful to speak of...I made a mental note to ask Enri about it afterwards. On the other hand, others like Tasuki had no idea, period. 

Irasa gave the best answer, I thought...although she was deaf, she was the most sensible one! But what her definition of 'showing someone your love' was...was another crazy riddle altogether. I had asked her, and she didn't answer...only winked and said, 'you know exactly what it means.' Must be a Medusa thing.

Well, it had better not have meant intercourse, that's all...

But how the hell do I even start? Showing him my love...it's not so simple...

Well, it wouldn't hurt to start, I guess...

Clearing my throat softly, I turned to face Suzaku, to see that he was fingering a small yellow flower at the bottom of the stairs. He wore a calm smile. This soothed me, for some reason, and made me forget about the strains of the task at hand, if only for a split second. 

I guess even after amnesia, the ex-god could still recognize beauty when he saw it. 

"Um, Suzaku...do you like it? It's pretty, isn't it? It's called a - "

"Flower."

My jaw dropped about ten feet into the ground; I stared at him in utter shock. "W-What?!"

"It's a flower," he repeated gently. His tone of voice almost made it sound like a role reversal, as if I was the child and he was a patient teacher, explaining things to me. "I remember what flowers looked like...but I don't remember its name. This one...starts with a 'd', I think..."

"Uh...it's a...d-dandelion..." I sputtered, half-amazed and half-overjoyed, and all to shocked to answer in a fluid sentence. "It's...it's called a dandelion, Suzaku."

"Dandelion..." He stared into the flower, mouthing out the word hesitantly at first, then more confidently. "Dandelion. Yes...I think that sounds familiar. A...dandelion...!" The redheaded ex-god grinned, satisfied with the answer.

I watched as he continued stroking the soft petals of the yellow blossom while cooing softly, as the weight of this new discovery staggered on my head.

Suzaku didn't forget everything. He remembers what a flower is! Not only that, but he could recall what letter the particular flower started with, even though there are only a few dandelions in the palace and he probably didn't like them very much either. His amnesia didn't take him away from me...his memory was still there, but it was as though it was encoded in a computer, and I had to unscramble the password, little by little. 

"So it's not hopeless," I whispered, catching Suzaku off guard. "It's really not hopeless...I can revive your memories. It will take work, but that's the least of my worries. At least now, I know that your brain isn't completely washed, and that there is still a possibility...!"

"I guess I can try," Suzaku offered. 

A pause, then...

"This is going to sound like a stupid question...but I still don't know your name...!"

I giggled at the realization. I'd forgotten to tell him! "Well...everybody calls me Juri...except for the gods, which includes you, who call me by my real name, which is - "

"Jenny?"

I stared at him. My mouth opened and closed, struggling to find words. "Y...Yes! Yes!!" Gasping, I took him by the shoulders. "By the gods, Suzaku, how did you remember?!"

What kind of heavenly...?!?

Suzaku stared back at me, his gaze intense. 

"I'm not sure..." He turned his attention to the ground, and twiddled his thumbs awkwardly. "It's just one of the things that I remember, and for some reason, it sticks out from the others...like it's...more important. For some reason, it's more important than the other things." His gaze became confused. "Though even now, I can't explain why..."

I was stunned to pieces.

What sort of divine power did this for us...?! Is there a love goddess watching, and we just didn't know it?

Oh, Suzaku...my Suzaku...

I know this is impossible, and I know it's illogical, but...

This must be love.

Yes...perhaps even I didn't know just what love was. Maybe we're both blind to what it's capable of...

For what seemed like an eternity, we continued gazing at one another...

Then a single happy tear rolled down my cheek. Shaking my head in disbelief at my good fortune, I turned away.

"It's...it's because you love me, Suzaku. It's a miracle of love..."

-

_Look to the spring! The petals are blooming..._

_In full splendor, our love blooms forever..._

_Lest death part us, may you be mine to take,_

_Even though we compromise, we can't compromise eternity,_

_Even though we can't promise perfection, even though we can't see the future,_

_Lest death part us, may you never forget my name..._

_And even in darkness, keep hope blossoming,_

_In life, in death, in the eternity that I promised you..._

_-_

* * *

(CLAMPraven sits back in her chair, admiring her handiwork...)

Poems that don't rhyme, lines that don't do credit to the story...(stretches)...ahh, but it's all a part of my plan! I'll soon rule the world, so who says I've got to work hard? Besides, the white chocolate is already on its way...

(And of course, ladies and gentleman, she's hyperventilating because of it...)

MUAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! Yummm....(starts frothing at the mouth)...white chocolate...WHITE CHOCOLATE!!!

(Meanwhile...)

_Chichiri: DAAAAAAA!!!!! (flash)_

(A light erupts from the chibi-monk, who looks scarier than Satan himself. It warps through the halls, affecting every mechanism in the place, and...)

_Suzaku: **YES!!!! **IT WORKED!!!!_

(As the dust clears, it would seem that every trap and deadly laser in the place had been de-activated through Chichiri's magic. This is followed by at least 10 minutes of grateful dancing and glomping fun.)

_Byakko: WE DID IT!!! NOW WE CAN FINALLY GET TO CLAMPRAVEN!!!_

_Nuriko: I don't have to drag the explosives over fences!! Hah!! (blows raspberry at Seiryuu) _

_Otaku Pitcher: (starry eyes) CHICHIRI...!!!! How did you do that?! That was so cool!!!_

_Chichiri: (smiles) You should see what I could do in 'White Stones in the Moonlight', no da..._

(A banner/arrow points to Chichiri says 'shameless self-advertising'.)

(And so, on a large scale, the cast's chances are looking good. But will they get there in time?! Dun dun dun...)

(fades out)

-CLAMPraven 


	33. Forbidden Love in the Eyes of Stars' Ve...

**"Juri"**

**-from girl to oracle-**

**By CLAMPraven**

* * *

~ Forbidden Love in the Eyes of Stars ~

Part 32 of the Legend of Juri - Venom

* * *

(Update on June 24: HOLD EVERYTHING!!! Stormlight, you are a goddess. Ne...(bonks head)...I'll try to correct all the sweared's into swore's, and all shall be revealed about the Seiryuu here!!!)

**(...)**

**(Ahem. Hello again.)**

(La Fille Noir is promptly pelted with rotten vegetables from the audience...again...)

**(DAMMIT!!! Ugh...CAN YOU JUST LISTEN FOR ONE SECOND?!? (silence) That's better!! Now...)**

**(Nearing fatal insanity yet again, CLAMPraven had pulled herself together only in time to update this fic, and give out a list of comments regarding everyone's reviews. It's on the sticky tab in my hand. Being the incredibly lazy girl that she was, I have frozen time to tell you what it says, on my own. Hmph.)**

**(And it goes: "1. To Otaku Pitcher: Yes, I figured you'd say something along those lines. Frankly, I don't know why you like Tasuki/myself as much as you do...perhaps it's the swearing? The constant insanity? The screaming and bashing of random heavy objects? (sweatdrops) Whatever the reason, thank god you're satisfied with the result, and I hope it makes up for the lack of a certain blue-haired monk. (grovels) Don't get mad!! He'll get at least one more 'no da' in the story before I go crazy, I swear!! 2. To Chibigreenwizardmon & Eria: WAI!!! (grin) Fellow white chocolate lovers!! Never mind that you don't comment on the story itself, but YOU LOVE WHITE CHOCOLATE!! I'm not the only one!! Ne...but NO STEALING, 'k? 3. To J. Liha: Finally, you're back!! (huge sigh) Yes, the kiss was worth the nosebleed, and yes, love is amazing. And don't worry...you'll find your Mr. Right someday, whether that be Sanosuke or some other utterly gorgeous bishounen you can hang onto/torment day in, day out!! (cheesy grin) 4. To Yvaellis: I'm so glad you liked the fic! And yes, I am insane. No use in denying it. BUT THEY'LL NEVER GET ME ALIVE!!! MUAHAHAHAHA!!! 5. To Draconsis: As polluted it is sometimes, China is beautiful. (nodnod) And, ne, Suzaku doesn't remember everything yet, just an itsy bitsy five-lettered name...a shame. His full memory will be back in 3 chapters maximum, and that's a guarantee!"**

**(Yes...and that is all. Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming. (disappears))**

(...Well. That was..._interesting_...(sweatdrops) meanwhile, our heroes are still heading for the top tower of the mansion, where CLAMPraven awaits her chocolate shipments!!!)

_Suzaku: (panting heavily) Just a...few...more...hours...(huff)..._

_Seiryuu: (collapses) I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE!!! (gasp) IT'S NURIKO'S TURN WITH THE EXPLOSIVES!!! (holds up huge bag)_

_Nuriko: NEVER!!! I...still have to...carry the monk..._

_Juri: Hopeless...hopeless...HOPELESS!!! _

(Yes, ladies and gentleman. After having disabled all the traps in CLAMPraven's mansion, and suffered serious glompage concussions from Otaku Pitcher and co., Chichiri was rendered to a coma after a few minutes of walking. After a while, they had reached the staircase, a warped, twisted torture device of the fourth dimension, consisting of approximately a few hundred thousand stairs. And after the first few thousand, not even the strongest seishi (i.e. Nuriko) nor the god chicken (i.e. Suzaku) could hold up anymore.)

(In fact, the only people who were actually half-alive were the fangirls, who were most powerful in their own realms, but still quite powerful in other realms. While Chibigreenwizardmon and Otaku Pitcher propelled themselves ahead with their fanfiction author powers, Draconsis felt content being carried by Byakko. With the bazooka locked onto his head, he didn't have much choice.)

(Currently, the tiger god looked about to die on the spot. This is only casual, of course, and not an insult to Draconsis's weight. (toothy smile))

(Will the cast of Juri & co. make it in time to stop the madness that is CLAMPraven?! Will they live to make it to the top stair?! Will the reviewers kill Noir with rotten vegetables one day?! Will this segment become the length of a novella?!? Will my annoying voice ever shut up?!?! Find out, next time on Juri: Author's Notes!!! (cues dramatic Star Wars music))

-CLAMPraven 

* * *

~Hotohori~

After the meeting in the Koudoutai shrine, in which we discussed the true meaning of love, we scattered all across the palace. I had retired to one of the larger rooms in my court, slightly more private than the throne room, where I had cleared out all of my advisors and handmaidens; I had ordered for the Medusa girl, Uwabami Irasa, to come with me. 

The electric-blue-haired girl was now seated on a high chair, opposite mine on the table. When her snake instincts weren't at work, and she wasn't doing handstands in midair, she was actually very shy and reserved. Twiddling her thumbs in her lap, she'd stare down at her shoes, not ever directly looking at me. Every once in a while, her round yellow eyes would dart around, the slits in them narrowing in surveillance.

The real reason that I had called her down was to test her abilities. I told her she could be useful to us in the days to come, against the merciless Hitori. She was hesitant, but understood.

We had been there for a few minutes now, and it was nearly noon. Both of us were uncomfortable in the silence, and this made conversation very hard. And considering that I still had to know what she was capable of...

Closing my eyes, I cleared my throat carefully, startling her.

"It's almost time for lunch, Uwabami-san. What is it that a Medusa eats, anyway?"

"Um..." For a moment she just stared at me, jaw slack and fangs gleaming, carefully studying the movement of my lips. Then she narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. "Actually, I eat mostly like a human. I have 1/2 of a human's digestive system. That should be from the throat down to the stomach. The rest is human. I can suffice eating three meals a day."

"Really?" I considered this. "But...what can the snake part of you digest?"

Irasa tilted her head. "Just about everything. A snake of my size and inner build...should be able to constrict and swallow - whole - something about the size of a large chicken." She mimicked the size with her hands on top of the table. "But servants aren't fed like that. We usually just stick with vegetables, rice, and the occasional meat. It's not very filling for a snake, but just good enough for a human. All of the large animals are outside, and I'm not allowed outside the palace, so I can't exactly catch myself a rabbit, ne?" She joked.

My eyes bulged out at the information, as a picture of a chicken-sized lump in Irasa's throat instantly popped up in my head. "That's...um, interesting..."

The snake girl nodded. "The only way I know about this is because of the past. One day, when I was about four, my family lived on a farm. My father and mother weren't home, and I was really hungry. You'd be amazed at what the hunger of a Medusa can drive them to; I crawled out into the stables and ate one of the piglets."

"Nani...?!" This was too much. "A piglet...when you were three?!"

She nodded. 

I blanched. "B-But does that mean that you can eat a human right now?!?" 

A shaky hand went to my own beautiful neck, wondering how dangerous the Medusa really was...was I wrong to have this conversation one-on-one? Should I have had guards? Oh, if my glorious beauty was ever damaged...

"I can't say exactly...I can probably sever the head of a human with my jaws, but I don't think it'd be very tasty." She paused. "Is there anyone in particular you want the head bitten off of, Heika-sama?"

A very large sweatdrop dangled from the side of my head at her casualty. "Er...not exactly..."

I could tell that this was going to be anything but easy...

-

_Ten minutes later..._

-

"Uwabami-san!!!! Um...I should think that this is enough now..."

"Okay...fifty-seven, fifty-eight...fifty eight snakes, Heika-sama!"

I stared at the wriggling mass of snakes before me, and shuddered. "There were fifty-eight of..._these_...in our imperial gardens?! There should be none!!"

After several very strange discussions about the Medusa's diet, strength, and flexibility, I had asked her to demonstrate her power of talking to snakes, hoping to rid some of the tension and stop myself from sweatdropping anymore. 

This...turned out to be a bad idea.

The flashing serpentine eyes regarded me skeptically, as a pale hand caressed one of the larger green reptiles, which had coiled around her hand. "You said there should be none...is that what you said? You'd never seen one before in your flowerbeds, Heika-sama?" 

Irasa's glare made me feel a little incompetent, but I shook my head fiercely nonetheless.

The girl considered this with great interest, then shrugged. "It doesn't matter now, I suppose. They don't damage the crop, or anything. They actually help out the soil a lot; aren't they beautiful?" She raised the snake in her hands up to eye-level, and rubbed noses with the creature, who seemed to return the gesture. 

"You kawaii little thing...!" she began, as though talking to it. "Yes...time to go! Don't bother Hotohori-sama anymore!" In a series of hisses and flashes of her forked tongue, she made her message clear.

As soon as she put the snake down on the ground, the entire green slithery pile immediately scattered, darting across the room, out through the hallway in which they came, and eager to return to the garden. Down the hall, blood-curdling shrieks could be heard. Including that of a certain tiger god. 

I winced, turning red with embarrassment immediately. Irasa didn't seem to mind; I reminded myself that this wasn't because the girl wanted to make me miserable, but because she couldn't hear the screams. 

"GAH!!!!" Byakko darted into the room, his eyes terrified, his pointing finger plainly accusing us. "Did you guys let the snakes out?!?"

Irasa cocked her head to one side. "Your lips are moving too fast, Byakko-seikun."

"Yes...it was us..." I admitted sheepishly. "Please tell me it didn't cause the hall to explode."

The white-haired tiger god placed his hands on his hips disdainfully. "NO...but Ginko the kitchen maid is now in a coma, and your wife nearly broke her heel trying to run away from them!"

This caused me to immediately face-vault. "Houki-chan detests snakes even more than I do...!!"

"Darn right...and so do I!!" Byakko shuddered, walking from the doorway. "I hate snakes...about the only things I hate more are dogs, chicken gods, and evil villains trying to destroy the Universe of the four gods for no valid reason!"

The snake girl looked insulted. "I know snakes aren't for everyone...but hate is a really strong word...!"

Sighing with a small smile, I averted my gaze from them, to the floor...

...And gasped.

Slithering on the wood was a tiny indigo snake, about the size of my palm. It traveled across the floor, just inches from my heel. It seemed, for the first few moments, to be scanning the room, searching for something, until it abruptly stopped, its eyes locked on to a region close to my heel. 

"Uwabami-san?" I rapped the table sharply to get their attention, still never removing my eyes from the small serpent. "I think you missed one..."

"Missed...? What do you mean, Heika-sama?"

"Hotohori-sama? What's the matter?"

She and Byakko both rounded the table from their sides, to see what I was so anxious about. 

"Hey, you're right...!" Byakko exclaimed, pointing at the creature that edged closer and closer to my foot. "You did miss one! Wow...I guess even Medusas can make mistakes!"

But Irasa shook her head fiercely.

"Something's wrong with this one. It's not one of the ones I called. It's not a garden snake from the palace at all!" She snapped. "Where did this thing come from?!"

And then it happened. 

Suddenly, without any warning, the snake reared up, flying to sink its jaws in my flesh.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!" I cried out in horror.

My vision swirled and spun out of control as I gasped, holding the wound and the snake's tightly-clamped jaws. With the last of my strength, I unhinged its teeth from my leg, flailing it across the room. Lights flickered and diminished into negatives and stars, as Byakko and Irasa's voices rang out in my flickering mind.

"Heika-sama!! Are you alright?!" Strong hands shook me. "HEIKA-SAMA!!!"

I closed my eyes...

-

~Byakko~

Hotohori's body went rigid...

"HEIKA-SAMA!!! Oh, gods...please, wake up!!!" Irasa cried, shaking his limp body fiercely. "HEIKA-SAMA!!! No...please...don't die!!! PLEASE DON'T DIE!!!"

I snapped my head around, to see an indigo shape slither towards the exit. 

_The snake...!!! It has..._

_It has the red eyes!!!_

In a lightning motion, I rushed for the doorway. Racing across the floor in a white blur, I reached out and caught the head of the serpent; holding the ends of its long, venomous body, I exerted all my force through my hands, and snapped the demon in two. 

The severed halves fell to the floor, as I stood up, shaking with fear. 

"Another...another curse..."

-

~Aya~

I gasped. 

_Oh, gods...the snake demon!!! The snake demon!!! The goddamned red-eyed snake demon!!!!_

_I was so busy watching the monks make out, I didn't even sense that it had already made it into the palace!!!_

_HOW COULD I HAVE BEEN SUCH AN IDIOT?!?!_

Screaming the reverse mantra, I landed with a _thump! _back on the floor, now visible again. Horrified at what my carelessness could've done, I turned to the monks next to my feet. 

"TAIKOU!! ENRI!!!" I shouted. "Get up!!!"

Immediately the two men broke off their kiss, stunned. Slowly they turned their heads around to see me...

...And promptly freaked out. 

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!! Otomeza - I mean, Aya!!!" Taikou sprang up from the floor, frightened. "I'm so sorry!! I forgot you were still here!! I...we didn't mean to do all of that in front of you!!!"

"Wait - the _Otomeza no Mikoto_ was _here_, and YOU DIDN'T TELL ME?!?" Enri stood up, glaring murderously at the pink-haired monk. "DO YOU KNOW HOW RARELY MIKOTOS EVER VISIT THE MORTAL REALM?!?" He hastily turned to me, to make a quick but very formal bow, then turned back to his koi. "What were you thinking, Taikou-baka?!?"

"GAH!!! Gomen nasai!! I forgot, Enri!!"

The white-headed monk snorted. "Well, it's just like you to forget, ne?"

Taikou sweatdropped. "IT'S NOT MY FAULT!!!"

I blinked, stunned at the fact that there was a disagreement at all, and cleared my throat carefully, freezing them in their argument. 

"Ahem...after about 30 minutes of bonding, plus 10 more of smooching, you mean to tell me that the only difference that it made was for you guys to lose the godforsaken honorifics?!"

Both immediately turned back to me, both with sweatdrops on their features. 

"Change can be hard..." Taikou begrudgingly admitted, with one last glare at Enri.

His boyfriend nodded, and shot one back. "Damn right!"

I shook my head furiously. "Look...now is not the time for this!! And as much as I liked seeing two monks make out after about four years of silence, there is a crisis at hand! Another red-eyed demon is here, in the palace!!"

They immediately stopped. 

"Wha - ?!?" Enri screamed, all traces of a smile disappearing from his features. "The demons are back?!?" He turned to the younger monk. "Gods..."

Taikou, eyes wide and frightened, drew a shaky breath. "That means..."

"Not, 'it means', Taikou..." I turned my face away, worry etched all over my features. "It's been done. The red-eyed beast, a poisonous snake this time, had slithered its way into the halls, into the room of a deity, into the room of..."

Feeling the energy whipping around in my somber heart, I struggled to listen...

_I feel ki rapidly diminishing in a young man, not yet in his prime...it's one of Suzaku's own..._

_The star is fading...the star..._

I closed my eyes.

_The star...!!_

"The star...it's fading..." It was barely a whisper. "Hotohori...is he who is cursed_._"

The shocked silence of the monks framed only the roaring hurricane in my heart, my number one weapon. Even at the moment of crisis, I blamed only myself, for not seeing it sooner. 

_I had to tell someone. I had to warn the palace...I can't turn back time, but what I could do was..._

One hand placed over my heart, the other my temple. 

_EVERYONE!!!! Hotohori is in danger!!!!_

_Before my heart has a chance to be silenced, hear this warning - heed this warning ~ !!!!_

_THE THIRD RED-EYED BEAST HAS FOUND ITS TARGET!!!_

-

~Jenny~

After Suzaku managed to remember my name, I guess I went a little overboard.

"Now, Suzaku, this is the floor," I instructed, gesturing with my hands, rushing around, and just a smidge over hyperactive. "And these are the stairs! Do you remember the stairs, too? How about my death lantern? And that's the roof, and that's the ceiling, and that's the sky and the birds and the sun and the clouds and the trees and the sun again and the grass and the dirt!! So do you remember? Huh? Huh?" 

Suzaku blinked, sweatdropping. "Um..."

"Oh!" I whipped around, pointing at the large bead at his forehead with a huge grin. "And that's a sweatdrop! Good for you, Suzaku! Now lets see, that's a nest, and those are chrysanthemums, and eglantines, and - "

"Jenny...don't you think you're going a tad bit too fast...?" The ex-god shyly pointed out.

Stopping, I considering this. "Er..."

_EVERYONE!!!! Hotohori is in danger!!!!_

I froze. 

"What...?!" 

Staring at Suzaku, who was motionlessly listening, I could tell that he had heard the same voice.

_Before my heart has a chance to be silenced, hear this warning - heed this warning ~ !!!!_

"What is that?!" I gasped, as the voice protruded my mind again. 

What did it mean...? Why was it talking about Hotohori?

Suddenly the words registered in my head.

Hotohori...in danger? Warning?!

"What's going on?" Suzaku asked tentatively. "And who...is Hotohori?"

_THE THIRD RED-EYED BEAST HAS FOUND ITS TARGET!!!_

Time stopped. 

The third scream, the last of the warning, had made everything more than clear.

I grasped my lantern in my hand. Another red-eyed beast...in the palace...here...Hotohori...danger!!!

Pulling the redhead up from his sitting, I made a mad dash for the emperor's private chambers, lantern in hand, hoping desperately that the voice was lying...

* * *

_In a few swift moments, the warning snaked through the palace. No one was excluded, not the servants, not the maids, and not even the lowliest of creatures missed the scream of the Virgo star..._

_Hotohori remained unconscious in bed..._

* * *

~Tamahome~

"Where is he?!" I screamed, bashing the door wide open. Even without seishi powers, a task like that wasn't impossible when there was a disembodied voice in your head. 

"Hotohori?" Miaka, breathless, rushed in after me. "What happened?!"

Then we saw him. 

Unconscious, deathly pale in his bed, the emperor of Konan had been reduced to a doll-like victim of terror in bed. There were only faint movements of the chest to indicate he was still alive and breathing, though no one knew for how long. Beside him, the serpentine girl, Irasa, held onto his hand, her eyes bloodshot. 

Byakko was the only one who saw us. As we watched in fear, he strode over to us, his face darkened with seriousness, something the tiger god wasn't known for; he held a jar, and when he was close enough, he held it out, revealing an indigo snake, snapped in two, its flesh stained with poison and black blood. 

I gasped, holding a shocked Miaka close to me. "This..."

"...was the red-eyed demon," Byakko finished, his tone cold. "It managed to get into the palace, somehow. Hotohori was bitten by it. We're not sure whether it's the curse or the venom that is taking him, but it's probably both."

He turned to gaze at the bed and the snake girl sadly. "She tried to suck out the poison...it wouldn't have affected her. But the curse spread it throughout his body faster than it could be removed. She blames it on herself, you know. She thinks that's why he's dying."

Just then, another door in the room banged open, revealing Juri and Suzaku. 

"We...heard the voice..." Juri panted, letting go of Suzaku's sleeve. Her eyes traveled to Hotohori, and her face clouded over immediately. "Oh, no..."

"You heard the voice, too?" Miaka asked, receiving a faint nod in answer. 

"We all heard the voice," Byakko said, sounding confused as Juri walked over the bed to touch strands of the emperor's hair. "But where could it have come from? None of us are psychic, and no one else had known that Hotohori was hurt except for me and Irasa, as far as I'm concerned. Only some sort of a heavenly deity could've done it..."

I frowned. "But there aren't any heavenly deities here...are there? It can't be a Mikoto..."

"How do you know it can't be a Mikoto, hm?!"

Chichiri and Seiun appeared out of thin air into the room at the same time; by the looks of it, both had teleported. 

"The voice we heard could've been anything!" The tiny old man waddled towards me, waving at me the same metal kendo stick he used on the monks. "The Mikotos aren't an organization, either, hm! They disagree, and they aren't near perfect, as the gods are..." He turned to the bed also, scratching his chin. "It's quite possible that one of them had pitied us and had taken the risk to defy Hitori. He could be here at this very moment, hm!"

"Wha-?! Then that means - "

"We very well could have a Mikoto on our side, no da," Chichiri concluded, sighing. "Hotohori is dying...this is possibly the only chance we have, now, no da. Juri already has 2 of her death candles...if we let him die, she'll have a third, and the fourth can't be too far off, either, na no da. Then she'll turn into the evil specter that she was destined to be, with all her power; in turn, CLAMPraven would become the Sakura Griffin...no one would be able to guarantee what they could do, or whether they'll still fight for one cause."

Miaka's watery eyes widened. "Hotohori...Hotohori's death...it can do all that...?"

"Perhaps more, no da."

"Then we can't let him die!" A deep voice roared.

From the door Juri and Suzaku came through, Mitsukake burst through. Taking one look at Hotohori's limp figure, the pain in his features magnified. "The voice wasn't just my imagination...! Hotohori was attacked!"

"Mitsukake..." I began, but couldn't get much further. 

The look in the silent seishi's eyes told everything anyone needed to know. Irasa, Juri...they weren't the only ones who felt guilty for what had happened. Mitsukake did, too. 

He was our healer, our only hope at the end of the day...and yet he had let Nuriko and Chiriko's lives slip by, one by one...he wasn't enough to help either of them. His silence had no suspect, but deep down they were invisible gashes in his heart that wouldn't go away. Adding that to his already lost love, and Hotohori's condition...he was broken.

Yet he never told...he never told. Now, he didn't need to.

He doesn't have his healing powers anymore. None of us do. And yet...

It's not fair! How could a seishi be shattered this easily?!

"I can't let the emperor of this country die...!! I can't lose another one...now that Hitori could do whatever he wanted with the souls...!" Mitsukake whispered, staring down at his hands, on the verge of crying yet again. "But my hands...they're useless now..."

Nearby, Suzaku stared at him, perplexed, as if trying to fit the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle together in his head. Slowly, the ex-god made his way towards the seishi...

...And to everyone's surprise, took his hand. 

"You may not have the healing powers I gave you, the day you were born..." He murmured, in a voice not quite his own, "But you'll always be a seishi...you have to be stronger than this!!"

Mitsukake blinked, stunned. 

Strangely enough, so did Suzaku. "Um...wait...I meant..."

Everyone's jaw dropped. "JURI?!"

But Juri's eyes were just as wide as everyone else's, as she sweatdropped, a mix of happy, shocked, confused, and embarrassed all at once. "He's been remembering random things lately! I don't understand it either! It's just a weird phase! Come on, now, guys, pick those jaws off the floor...!"

Just then, the sound of stomping hooves ended the moment. I heard Miaka's gasp, as well as my own, as a tall shape rumbled through the doors behind us, whinnying loudly as it trampled over the floor.

It was a black stallion. Adult. Huge. And inside a room that could barely hold all of us _people._

Naturally, just about everyone scattered.

"DAAAAAAAAA!!!"

"AAAAAAAAAAARRGGH!!!"

Through all of this chaos, even Irasa, who was both completely miserable and _deaf, _lifted her head in time to see that there was a horse in the middle of Hotohori's bedroom...and promptly ran so fast, she nearly squished Byakko to a pulp.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!" I scrambled off to one side of the room. Unfortunately for me, Miaka did too, a little too fast, and not exactly watching where she was going...

"GAH...Miaka!!! GET OFF!!!" 

"Oops!! Gomen nasai, Tamahome!! I didn't see you!!"

"Would you all just f*cking CALM DOWN?!?"

We stared. 

Apparently, Tasuki was steering the horse, petting it like nobody's business. But it wasn't him who sweared at us, as unusual as that might sound. It was a feminine voice that came straight from the horse, with her pink nails and black hair and out-of-the-ordinary double-coloured eyes...

"CLAMPraven?!" Juri wailed as the Nyan-Nyan changed back to her original form. "Why in all the hells, a horse?!?"

"Because it was fast. And smaller than a dragon," she shrugged, as if it was the most casual thing in the world. "Oh, and next time...Tasuki?" She glared at the grinning bandit. "Don't pet me just to piss me off, 'k?"

Then, turning to see the unconscious Hotohori, she put two and two together automatically. "That damn voice...it wasn't lying."

All the glares around the room told the same two words, but Byakko was the only one to put it into words. "NO...really?" 

Seiun, with eyes narrowed, counted around the room. "One, two, three, four, five...plus five seishi, and me. Looks like just about everyone is here, hm! But..." He grunted. "Ne...it's just like those two to miss out on everything...Taikou and Enri still aren't here, hm!" He brandished his kendo stick. "Just wait until - "

But he never got to finish his sentence.

Another strange and unexplained entrance (funny how many of those we'd had in the last few minutes) had stopped him, as the center of the room started to glow an eerie, violet light...and out of nowhere, the two monks in question appeared!

"Taikou! Enri!" Juri exclaimed, as Taikou waved sheepishly.

"We had a little delay..." The pink monk smiled, glancing at Enri. Strangely enough, they were holding hands.

All around the room, we were mesmerized by the lavender glow, and shocked at the sudden appearance, except CLAMPraven, who had turned away from the two, a mysterious sorrow on her face. 

"How did you do that, hm?!" Seiun demanded, wagging the kendo stick in front of Enri threateningly. "I never taught you how to teleport. Did you learn from somewhere else, hm?!"

When the light diminished, however, we could see that the Koudoutai monks weren't the source of the teleport, nor were they the only ones there...

A small girlish figure, clad completely in an elaborate pastel yellow dress, shone like a diamond in the center of the room. Her eyes were a rainbow blend of gold, jade, and lavender, framed by dark lashes, and a small mole by her left eye. Her whole face seemed to glitter with an ethereal light, framed by flowing mauve hair that poured down to waist-length like rivers of silk. Her fingers and wrists were decorated with gemstones and veils, that sparkled rays of starlight across the room. She didn't look any more than eight or nine...though her gaze carried the wisdom of ages into eternity...

The face immediately kindled lost memory in my mind. My eyes lit up, my senses afire, by the name of the one who died what seemed like years ago.

Nu...Nuriko...? Female Nuriko? Kid female Nuriko?!?

B-But it can't be!! How...?

Crossing over to Hotohori's bed, while everyone else watched in stunned surprise, she reached out a hand, brushing away the strands of hair from the unconscious emperor's eyes with the utmost care. 

"Hotohori-sama..." She murmured...

I couldn't believe it.

The way she touched him, so delicately...! It's either kid female Nuriko or some sort of a goddess!!

Tasuki was the first to approach her, slowly and cautiously. Sensing him, she turned around, a questioning glance on her face. "Yes, Tasuki-kun?"

"N-Nuriko...? Is that you?" The redhead choked out, his eyes glistening, that ideal face bringing back heartbreaking memories from years ago, of a younger version of himself, crying for the death of a friend...

The ethereal child seemed to consider this, then sighed, shaking her head sadly.

"Gomen nasai, Tasuki-kun," she apologized with the utmost sympathy. "Nuriko...has yet to be freed from Akiyama Hitori's clutches. I cannot bring myself to lie or to hurt you further. I am a boy, and I look exactly like him, but this, like Hitori's, isn't even my true form."

Closing his eyes, the bandit let out one bitter tear, a reminder of that day in Mt. Black. What was once the arrogant definition of profanity was now just a child longing for one of the only people who ever understood him. "You really aren't him..."

She...no, he, turned away. "No...I'm not. Watashi wa Motoyuri Aya...Otomeza no Mikoto."

* * *

(And here lies one of the shortest segments in the history of the white chocolate saga (you wonder where we come up with all this corny shit...). In CLAMPraven's study, we've already seen her frothing at the mouth. So what would happen once the chocolate is actually delivered...?)

Oh? (looks out window) What the...?

(An angelic figure, wearing a deity's sword and no shirt, carrying a few truckloads of chocolate in a large bag, is flying to CLAMPraven's window. Like a vision of a dream, the figure tries to squeeze the chocolate through the window, busting the frame of the window instead, and dumped all of the bag's contents into the insane fanfiction writer's lap.)

(Gasps) Oh... (super sparkly eyes) Chocolate...CHOCOLATE...**CHOCOLATE!!! **(Takes out gold from her pockets, glomps the shirtless angelic figure, and pays up) **THANK YOU!!!! **The tip should be enough, Van.

(Van Fanel nods, and flies out the door, leaving CLAMPraven in her blissful state.)

Ahhhh... (dreamily holds up sign that says 'We don't own Escaflowne') Now...the world shall truly be no match for me...!!! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!

-CLAMPraven 


	34. To Believe in Times of Crisis' Return

**"Juri"**

**-from girl to oracle-**

**By CLAMPraven**

* * *

~ To Believe in Times of Crisis ~

Part 33 of the Legend of Juri - Return

* * *

(Suzaku and Co. are almost at the top of the stairs! If only they knew that they were too late! Oh, the humanity - )

**((clears throat carefully))**

(And once again, the routine vegetable pelting...)

**(GAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!! STOP IT!!! (silence, except for some muttering) I only have one thing to say this time, on behalf of CLAMPraven, the narrator, and myself!!!)**

(And that would be...?)

**(Fanfiction.net is, during the last week at least, quite redundant and amazingly bug-infested. There. I said it. (waits for approval))**

(A five second pause is given, then the vegetable showers begin again, along with a reappearance of the foghorn noises, which, up until now, we had assumed were...well, extinct.)

**(Aaaaah!!! NOOO!!! (teleports out))**

((sweatdrops) Erm...right...in any case...)

(CLAMPRAVEN HAS THE WHITE CHOCOLATE!!! OH, THE HUMANITY!!!)

(P.S. We have nothing against Fanfiction.net. Noir is just not thinking clearly these days...)

_Suzaku: (heaves up the last few stairs) AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!! WE MADE IT!!! (promptly collapses)_

_(Everyone else): We know, we know...(collapse also)_

_Otaku Pitcher: (gets up, glances around, her fanfiction powers pulsing) CLAMPraven should be in...that room over there! (points)_

_Draconsis: FINALLY!!! (brandishes bazooka, and targets her weapon in the direction of the room's door) Now it's my turn!!!!_

(A few moments passed, before an earth-shattering BOOM!!!!! shook the foundations of the building.)

(Our heroes rushed inside the room...)

_(Everyone): (stares in utter shock for the customary five seconds)_

(Camera zooms up, closing in on the dramatic contorted expressions of each character, taking another half a minute.)

(Then, the silence explodes.)

_(Everyone on the cast): (deep inhalation) **NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!**_

_(Fangirls): (bonk the respective bishounen and bishoujo over the heads) STOP BEING SO MELODRAMATIC!!!_

(CLAMPraven sits at her desk, a total calm washed over her face. Traces of the chocolate were smudged all over her fingers and chin, giving her the look of a mongrel. All around her, piles of torn white chocolate wrappings were flung about the room. Her pupils, are dilated, leaving the now blood and roan red blobs that this new akuma calls her eyes.)

_Suzaku: (blanches) (whispers) This must be the calm before the storm!!!_

_Byakko: We're gonna die ~ !!!!!!_

_Juri: Okay...calm down...(puts a finger to her lip)...now, on the count of 3, we scram out of here, down the stairs, and through the nearest window. Now, three..._

(CLAMPraven opens her mouth slowly, as if to say something. Cavities and fillings are revealed...as well as a layer of fanged, canine teeth...)

_Juri: (eyes bulge out) ONE!!!! One, one, one!!!! **RUN!!!!!!!**_

-CLAMPraven 

* * *

~Jenny~

Nearly all of us had crowded into the conference room in the Koudoutai shrine again, with Aya in our midst. 

Nearly...

Tamahome had volunteered to look after Hotohori in the bedroom, to keep Miaka from worrying, and to help his own conscience. I could tell that it wasn't just for his girlfriend that he took care of the emperor...it was out of genuine respect. Tamahome had never really hated Hotohori...they opposed one another sometimes, but they shared invisible bonds stronger than we could imagine...and when the fighting seishi stared at his unconscious rival, near the brink of death, he could only think of how selfish it would be to leave him, and how painful it would be if the emperor were gone.

_ "I have to stop thinking of myself. I have to put my own feelings aside and...make it up to him. I shouldn't hate him as much as I do...he's just hopelessly in love, with what happened to be the wrong girl at the wrong time. It wouldn't make anyone too happy if he didn't ever get to see Miaka's smiling face again!" he told me._

And as he sighed, hoping for a cure, I knew it was true.

He wasn't the only one, either. Mitsukake felt terrible as well, and so did Irasa and Byakko. Naturally, since they were there, the partial Medusa and the Ex-tiger god believed that they were somehow responsible for Hotohori's death...even though they couldn't have done anything about it.

_"I should've seen it..." Irasa murmured, clutching Hotohori's hand bitterly. "My vision and senses should've picked up on the alien force. Why didn't I see it?"_

_Byakko sighed as he confiscated the snake's remains. "Well, at least I'm not alone..."_

It was sad, to see the two of them so depressed. And just like the two of them, Mitsukake's mind was clouded over with the same veil of darkness. His reasons were just as blunt as the ones Irasa and Byakko gave, and he was just as stubborn about it as they were. 

_He stared daggers at me, his face pale. "I can't let him die, especially since Suzaku isn't in heaven and Hitori's going to take his soul!! I'd let two soldiers get killed, one by self-sacrifice against Ashitare, and the other one defending you from a Mikoto....even with my healing power, I let them get killed!! I can't let another one go the same way..._

_"There's already been too much. First my beloved, now the beloved of Suzaku and the rest of our companions...!"_

It seemed like the tragedy of Shoka was resurfacing...now we've realized that it had never been forgotten. Underneath his silence, Mitsukake hid a living time bomb...his heart. This had been the last straw, and the bomb was eating away at his soul, ready to blow him apart at any second with a violent outburst.

And for once, even my counseling couldn't have helped the healer. Though it had helped everyone else from any possible suicide attempts in the past, even myself. 

That wasn't all, either. Around the time when these four decided to stay, Empress Houki was still on her royal carriage, shocked, enraged, and frightened. She had to cancel a meeting with the Empress of Sairou on an important trade proposition, only a few minutes after the warning went out across the palace; after everyone realized that the warning was true, a messenger was sent to fetch Houki, who was on her way to the Tiger God's country. The good news was that the messenger caught her on the outskirts of the neighboring city; she still hadn't made her way out of Konan yet. She would arrive in time to see her husband only a few minutes after we (the nine of us) left with Aya to the conference room, to talk about why he was there. 

It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that she wasn't going to be too pleased, either. When it concerned her oh-so-perfect husband, Houki had a temper that would easily match Nuriko's. A red-eyed demon who sets curses on Shichiseishi wasn't going to be explanation enough for her.

Hard to imagine, ne? But the danger had only just begun...

-

"Juri? Juri!!!"

"GAAAAAAAH!!!!" I screamed, whipping my head around wildly. "N-Nani?!" 

Eight pairs of eyes were staring at me, including the eyes of the Mikoto. CLAMPraven, who happened to be sitting next to me, filled me in. 

"The damn Mikoto asked you a question!!!" The Nyan-Nyan hissed. "What the hell are you so focused on, daydreaming when a heavenly deity's on the line?!"

I blinked, staring at Motoyuri Aya. "Oh...! Gomen nasai, Aya-sama!!"

The Otomeza no Mikoto dismissed this with a smile. "Aya's enough, thanks. And don't worry about the daydreaming. There are Mikotos and gods who are worse; they wouldn't listen to a word I say when I tell them, especially Uoza no Mikoto! He's always too busy contemplating...but I bop him on the head with his own Shakujou as payback!" He flashed a victory sign.

The gesture was so much like Nuriko's, I couldn't help but choke up. My eyes were watering up, and I was unable to say one word. I was happy beyond measure. This triggered a giggling nerve.

Aya beat up people as well...! And he flashes victory signs for it, just like Nuriko does when he punches Tasuki into a wall!! Plus he looked so much like Nuriko as an eight-year-old!

KAWAII!!! ^_______^

Quickly turning away, I masked my giggling with some quick coughing. 

From the corner of my eye, I could see Enri's eyes glowing, reading my thoughts. A smile tugged at the edge of his mouth, as he shot me back, from the other end of the table, a mental picture...of Chibi-Nuriko, multitasking (playing with dolls, glomping Chibi-Hotohori and strangling Chibi-Tasuki), surrounded by question marks.

This made me giggle harder.

Aya tilted his head in confusion. "Ne?"

CLAMPraven rolled her eyes exasperatedly and patted me on the back, a little too hard. 

"Don't worry...it's happened before. Just a sudden case of hysteria-prone reflexes that occur for reasons that only the gods know. She did this when she saw me as a Nyan-Nyan for the first time." She grunted. "Such a strange, hopeless lunatic, and she doesn't even know it..."

"Hey!!!" I giggled, whacking her on the head.

"Hey, yourself!" A return whack & giggle.

"Hey!!" Whack. Giggle.

"Hey, yourself!!" Whack. Giggle.

Hehehehehe...on and on and on...

-

~Aya~

A sweatdrop appeared on the side of my head, as the whole table watched CLAMPraven and Juri bonk each other on the head. "Er...right..."

But inside my head, the whole atmosphere of the room changed. They were laughing, giggling, smiling genuinely in what seemed like eternity...! With that kind of child's play, the Nyan-Nyan and the oracle almost seemed like...

_Like normal little girls...!_

_Erm...except for their powers, wisdom, tempers, and extensive knowledge of online porn. (mental sweatdrop)_

_Plus, both are suffering from heartache for a lover, something no child should have to deal with...one because of her ex-god's amnesia, the other because of her monk's newfound interest in men._

I made a mental note not to mention it in the table. 

_Oh, well...I guess you really can't have everything..._

Even though CLAMPraven was laughing and had dismissed her sadness, for now, bringing it up in front of everyone else would be like pouring alcohol onto a bloody gash. 

She was far too touchy about the public knowing her truth. Furthermore, I was the Otomeza no Mikoto, Mikoto of love! My conscience is enough to gag on; to see someone cry would be to cry myself. No exceptions. 

I guess, when you think about it, I'm a lot like Nuriko. Sensitive, dreamy, with a guilt trip the size of Hokkan. Maybe that's why Juri was giggling...?

_Maybe..._

"Aya?"

"Hm?" I turned to Miaka, who had spoken. "Hai?"

The Suzaku no Miko looked worried.

"I think it's time to quit the cheerful act, Aya. We've been a little easy on the questions right now. And just because you're a Mikoto doesn't mean we have to be easy on you. And so far, we have been, and you haven't provided too many answers, on your part. When it comes down to it, you still own us a huge explanation on why you're here, what your intentions are, and why you didn't get to Hotohori in time to warn us or save him." Her eyes were steely, her tone dead serious.

My pride wavered at her words. My mind drifted back to that moment, when I realized that I failed to stop the red-eyed demon, even though that was what I had come down to Konan for, all along. The negative thoughts weighed down on me, once again, as I struggled to make eye contact with the people at the table.

"Yes...yes, I do. I own you the biggest explanation of all.

"I, Otomeza no Mikoto, Lord of the Virgo constellation, am not even supposed to be here, on the mortal plane. But when I saw what Hitori had done to you, I couldn't help but feel sympathy for what you're trying to do. And since I heard that another red-eyed demon was approaching, I felt as if I had to take the risk, to come down here. 

"The truth is that I'm endangering myself by being here at all. If I ever expel large amounts of power, there's the guaranteed danger of Hitori finding me. In fact, I'm not even sure that he hasn't found me already. If he did, and he realized that I was betraying him, he would surely banish me from the heavens. But I believe in love...it's part of my responsibility to the world to. So don't worry," I smiled at Juri's concerned frown. "It's okay. I can hide out. I don't need to fight, anyway.

"But through this, I felt like I was doing both you and Hitori a favour... 

"Hitori wasn't always this way. He once loved somebody, too."

This earned a gasp from everyone, none excluded...especially CLAMPraven and Juri, who by now had stopped whacking each other on the head.

"Hitori used to love somebody?!" Juri cried, shocked. "But why...? How? It's possible, but he's so cold!"

"That godforsaken hypocrite!!" CLAMPraven hissed, barely sitting on the edge of her chair. "Then what the hell is the matter with him?! I thought his own f*cking Magna Charta said that the immortals shouldn't love anybody!! Now, you're saying that he loved someone, and he still isn't cutting Juri any damn slack?!"

"Calm down," I raised a hand, restraining them. "It was a long time ago..."

"True, hm!" Seiun added. "Right about when the Universe of the four gods was created, hm!"

"You know about this?!" The two girls turned to him, shocked. 

"I'm a Koudoutai monk. I study all things Koudoutai. I hope that rings a bell for you two ladies, hm!" He replied, clearly insulted.

I continued. "He's right. Back when the first battle of Shin'ai occured, when the Sakura Griffin Yohko and the Oracle Juri fought, their dead souls were sealed by Taiitsu-kun into a dungeon at the bottom of Mount Taikyoku. This is so that they never get reborn, and they'd never have to fight again. That way, they also never have to endanger the Universe of the four gods in their battles. 

"The souls were frozen, preserved, never to see daylight again...

"During that time, Iteza no Mikoto, the Lord of the Sagittarius, was having a mental crisis. Did you know? Iteza's stars, or rather, Akigo Kano's stars - that was his real name, Kano - were stars of freedom; he always stood up for what he believed in. That was the key to his power! Right then, Kano believed in Juri's cause. He believed that Juri was right, and that Hitori was wrong - love shouldn't be forbidden between mortal and immortal. 

"That put him in the most dangerous situation of all. 

"Kano knew he was right. But he also knew that Taiitsu-kun would never agree with him; she'd never release Juri and Yohko's souls! And with Hitori having the upper hand, he could be punished severely...even banished. He never wanted to displease Hitori...he cared very much for him! In fact..."

I drew in a shaky breath, bracing myself for whatever reaction I'd receive.

"Kano...loved Hitori. And was loved in return. No one knew...except for me."

Another widespread gasp escaped the lips of the eight listeners.

"What in all the f*cking hells?!" Tasuki's eyes bulged out. "THEY WERE OKAMA?!?"

Deep down, I winced. 

This was the harshest comment I'd been expecting, from the person I'd expected it most out of. If no one else said anything, Tasuki would be the one to break the silence. Always.

To my hidden relief, this earned him two resounding hits from both CLAMPraven's fist and Chichiri's staff, about a nanosecond later. "TASUKI!!!"

Unfortunately for poor Tasuki, they were both sitting next to him. This wasn't difficult to imagine, as both were needed to keep the bandit in check. This occurred to me as the bandit was screaming in pain from the hits, and cursing rapidly in phrases I didn't know existed.

"Damn you...and I thought you were getting f*cking smarter!! An answer like that can only come from a retarded person!!" CLAMPraven folded her arms, glaring off in the opposite direction of Tasuki.

"Think about what you're saying before you open your mouth, no da," Chichiri advised warningly, his mask bending into an irritated look, turning in another direction as well. "Especially since this is a Mikoto you're talking to, na no da!!"

"B-But..." Tasuki stuttered, staring at one, then the other. 

On the other side of me, Taikou and Enri cast knowing looks at one another, remembering, quite well, the kisses they shared in the praying room, and relating it to this. At the end of the table, Juri's eyebrows knitted together, as if she was wracking her brain for some lost information. 

When she finally found it, she nearly jumped. "Ah!! Now I know why those names sound so familiar!! That night, when Hitori attacked us, Suzaku told me about him. He said that only the Iteza no Mikoto really stands any chance of winning against the Tenbinza no Mikoto, in a battle!" She frowned. "But he also said that he...was banished. As a youma."

I smiled grimly. 

"Suzaku couldn't have put it better."

"The truth be told, the Tenbinza's power can be matched by several Mikotos, including Uoza, Sasoriza, and Ohitsujiza. Kano, even at full power, isn't as strong. But he does have one thing that the other Mikotos didn't have...

"Hitori's heart.

"They loved each other. The relationship was a hidden one, and possibly the most ironic one in the history of this universe...but it was beautiful. It was amazing how no one else could see it, but it had been so simple in my eyes. The way they caressed one another, the gazes in their eyes...

"That is, it was, up until Kano started believing that Juri's idea of love having no boundaries was right. Then everything changed. 

"Finally, Kano had made up his mind. He used his weapon and nearly all his powers to rescue the souls of Yohko and Juri from that dungeon, and released them into the heavens. His weapon, the whip, binds the souls together with his spell, so that they would forever continue being free, no matter what Taiitsu-kun does to try and capture them again. The oracle and the griffin were reborn, and from then on, the two girls were destined to meet each other, life after life, battle after battle, looking for a winner.

"The Mikotos and Taiitsu-kun were shocked, especially Tenbinza no Mikoto. Kano's revolutionary ideas were radical before, but this had gone too far. He used up all his powers in an irreversible spell, and was reduced to a shell of his former strength. I was most worried for him...I was his best friend at the time, and I was the only one, besides Hitori and Kano, who knew of their secret relationship. 

"I was afraid of what Hitori would do to him. He had to follow the rules of his own stars, and punish his lover...! And yet, his heart kept getting in the way..."

I shuddered.

"Then that one night, it happened. Hitori, after days of torturing himself, started torturing Kano according to his Magna Charta. I was scared, and wanted to help...but the other Mikotos held me back! No one was allowed to see Kano again. Hitori would torture him, day after day...and when he came back from it, he would look like a man who had his heart ripped out of its place. 

"Kano was confused by Hitori's actions, but he never screamed nor cried. The only screams that we heard were the ones from his tormentor. Kano, however, stayed strong, and irresponsive to what the Tenbinza no Mikoto was doing to him. He never questioned the one he loved. And after this happened for several days, he'd started to understand...

"But before he had a chance to regret what he had done, the heavens shook with one deathly tremor as the Iteza no Mikoto was finally banished. Hitori couldn't take seeing his face anymore. He was labeled as a youma and sent away, underneath Mt. Black, where he could never return..."

-

~Hitori~

From Suzaku's television, the image of Aya telling that bitter story shook the reception, and the screen flickered in the dim light of my aura. 

Sitting there on the ancient throne, my heart bleeding deeply, I glared at the screen, my eyes alight with shock and unspeakable shame. 

Aya was talking about Kano's banishment, the one thing that I regret, throughout my life...that which made everything else ten times harder for me to endure, that which started it all. 

The voices and shocked gasps coming from the TV were sure signs of this being true. The Otomeza no Mikoto's voice was barely a whisper, dented by small cracks of pain, and eventually sobs. His delicate feminine hands found their way up to her face, and the sobs increased. 

He was crying. Next to him, Chichiri reached out a hand, to try and comfort the distraught Mikoto. But he cried harder, choking out apologies and rushed sentences that went along the lines of: "I shouldn't have...shouldn't have just stood by...stood by, watching as he fell...I shouldn't have...the gods forgive me...!!"

But he didn't stop crying. 

Leaning towards the screen, shadows eclipsing my face, I narrowed my eyes dangerously, a crooked half-smile staining my features.

"You thought that hurts...? Otomeza..." I chuckled sourly, tsking, "...you have no idea the pain it cost me, do you? Otomeza-_chan_...what you went through...wasn't even worth tears...!!"

My brows furrowed, as the smile slowly melted into a vile frown. 

"I shall never forgive either of you until the day of my destruction, for doing what you had done to me. Both of you loved me. It only hurt me more. Mad machines like me...are not meant to be loved. We are only programmed to hurt.

"You've realized that...far too late."

My mace glowed in my hand, as the golden force transported me to Hotohori's palace, for the second time...

-

~CLAMPraven~

"Look...it's raining outside..."

Aya had been ushered to a guest room, where he cried even more. Juri, pitying him greatly, decided to help him with some much-needed counseling. Sometimes I think the girl was too helpful for her own good.

Meanwhile, Tamahome, Houki, Irasa, Byakko, and Mitsukake continued to look after Hotohori. The young emperor showed no signs of improvement, and actually started to get weaker, his skin increasingly pale. His empress was called to her duties, but she refused; she also made sure that the advisors told no one outside of court about her husband's sickness, unless they wanted their necks rung out. She didn't lose hope, and she didn't allow anyone else to. Houki-sama was the best moral support they could have at the time. 

I stood by the window, feeling sullen.

It had started raining just a few minutes ago, and had already increased to a downpour. The liquid splashed up against the glass, dripping like crystals off of leaves and flower petals. The sky was a whirling mass of gray, and mist was starting to cloud in. No one doubted that this could turn into a flood, somewhere in Konan.

The whole palace was dreary and quiet, on this rainy day. Everyone seemed cramped up inside, and the whole world was a monotone, not moving forwards or backwards in time. Chichiri had taken to meditating, while Seiun went back to the shrine library to do more research on Kano, Aya, and Hitori. Out of boredom, Tasuki and Miaka teamed up to ransack the kitchen of all their food and beer. I was alone in the room, watching the raindrops slide. All because of bad weather.

And to think...with Suzaku cast out of heaven, the weather would continue to be like this forever. Without a god in the sky, there's no telling what would happen. In fact, Seiryuu probably could -

I froze. 

"CLAMP-chan?" Taikou approached me. "Something the matter?"

"I just remembered something..." I murmured, hesitation creeping into my features. "We've all been worried about the Mikotos and the battle of Shin'ai that we would have to face. But...we'd forgotten something...!"

Taikou paled. "F-Forgot?"

I stared worriedly at him. "The Seiryuu seishi. Whatever happened to them?"

For a moment, the pink-haired monk looked as though I'd just slapped him in the face with a mallet. Then, a wide grin broke out on his face...and he started laughing!!

"Ne?!" I blinked, my eyes wide in confusion. "What's so damn funny?!"

Standing there, watching him, I felt like an alien.

Holding his stomach, Taikou's giggling slowly ceased, as he regained control of himself.

"Iie, iie...it's just..." He shook his head, still smiling toothily from ear to ear. "Everyone knows this...!"

"They do? They never...told me..."

"The Seiryuu seishi were defeated more than a month ago!!"

The impact was harder than if he'd slammed my head into titanium alloy. 

"_WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!?!?_" I screamed, picking my jaw off the floor. "They were defeated?!? _HOW?!? WHY?!?_"

From the other room, Enri arrived. 

"Hai, it was around the time when you and Juri arrived from her world," The white-haired monk nodded. "The Kutou invasion was stopped and their seishi killed without much effort. Not one of our seishi had to die during that time, except Nuriko, who was already dead. It was almost too easy, in my opinion." He shrugged. "But then again, I was never in the army."

Blinking and re-blinking, I considered these new facts. "Juri...she really did change the Universe of the four gods. Just by her being here, with the knowledge of the future, the future had to be changed. While we were gone, this happened..." I thought about it. "I guess since we brought Hitori with us, everyone was just too swept up by these new events. They could've just forgotten to tell us that they won against the Seiryuu.

"And I guess...it was partly because they didn't want us to know anyway. It was a painful war, and not that easy to talk about. But Juri did change the world! Even though...the seishi that were supposed to die in the war will probably die now. But wait a second..."

I turned to Enri. "If Suzaku was successfully summoned already, what did Miaka wish for?!"

"I - " Enri paused. "I don't remember exactly. But I do recall Seiun telling me - she told Suzaku to save the first two wishes. And the third wish was to return home...as soon as Juri's adventure is over." His violet eyes flashed mysteriously. "She really did care about Juri's well-being, you know, especially after all the help she gave to the seishi."

"I see..." Now I was truly surprised. 

Miaka made a risk that great, just so that she could see Juri find her happiness?

Now it was Taikou's turn to be confused. "Nani?" He turned to Enri, slightly annoyed. "Juri changing the future? Juri's from another world?! How come you know what she's talking about and I don't? Why is it that you - "

"Because I read her mind?" The white-haired monk suggested, cutting him off.

"Well, I guess that could be - HEY!!"

While they bickered on, the rain continued pouring. Suddenly, yet another thought hit me. 

We're in the same room.

Taikou and Enri are in the same room with you. No one else is here. You are in the same room with the gorgeous pink-haired monk that you had a crush on and his equally gorgeous boyfriend. Adding this to the fact that you are the only one who knows they smooched in the praying room...

I gasped.

Supposing I decided to tell them that I saw...?

The flashbacks hit me with the force of thunder. I summed up my options, my heart pounding nervously. 

If I tell them now, it would be a huge load off my heart. Except for the fact that it's dangerous, and they could desert me, that would be the right thing to do. If I don't tell them, they'd never have to know, and things could go as always. They could remain my friends.

This is hard...

Staring at the two boys, happy as they could ever be in each other's presence, I wondered what would be right. If I tell them, they could break up. On the other hand, if their love is true, they wouldn't abandon each other because of me; they'd probably abandon me for one another. 

I thought about my friends. Tasuki knows I saw something, but not what. What would he say? Like it or not, the big redheaded lug was becoming a big brotherly figure to me. Given his profanity, and his...limited seishi wisdom, what would he advise?

Just because it's hard, it doesn't make it f*cking impossible.

Yeah, something like that. And what would Aya say? He's a heavenly deity of love, isn't he? He'd do, while Suzaku goes through his memory loss. What kind of advice would Aya give me, if he knew this was what I was going through?

Your heart is the key to everything, but make sure you're not using it to break someone else's."

Probably. Now, for the ultimate test.

In my mind, I'd blocked off everything. The pelting of rain against the glass and the sounds of Enri and Taikou bickering drowned underneath the silence. Should I tell them? Should I not? This is the one thing that would help me.

Juri was always the guidance counselor, the peacekeeper, the pacifist. She knew every nook and cranny of the heart, and she gave the best damned advice I knew. If there was any role model to follow in a situation like this, she would be that one. I usually stuck to my own heart, but it's currently tugging at two ends of the rope. Everything depended on this one question that I would ask myself now.

What would Juri do?

* * *

(This chapter was ridiculously long, so the quotes at the end will be condensed. Like vegetable soup. Heh.)

(So basically, Aya told them that Hitori loved Kano, which we already know, but in greater detail! Hitori teleported to the palace, and was, no doubt, hella pissed off. (NO!! BAD PUN!! BAD PUN!!!) And CLAMPraven, after finding out that the Seiryuu were dead all along, was mimicking the quotes of others and wondering what Juri would say in her place, to her gay crush and his gay crush, both disregarding the rules of Koudoutai chastity/heterosexuality, something even the Mikotos couldn't care less about, as seen in Hitori and Kano's relationship, as well as Aya's drag attire. ^^;; Damn, the longest run-on in the whole chapter, and still grammatically acceptable, except for the names/pronouns. (claps) How about that?!)

(And just so that Noir doesn't get pelted with more vegetables, I'll acknowledge that little end phrase for her.)

('What would Juri do?' is a parody of 'What would Jesus do?', the quote on those neat little bracelets/necklaces that CLAMPraven saw a few years ago (we no own), when she was still in the U.S. (are they still selling those things??). Eh...no blasphemy intended.)

(Meanwhile, as I'm rambling on about Christianity and the price of religious insults, the cast of Juri is about to die.)

_Suzaku: RUN!!!!!_

(Yes. Quite. But that will continue on the next chapter!)

_(Everyone): NANI?!?!?!?_

(We leave you on this odd parting note: CLAMPraven is officially uncontrollable, and the cast/fangirls are about to watch her squish the world in her white-chocolate-stained fingers.)

(Goodnight, minna, and remember: think happy thoughts.)

-CLAMPraven 


	35. To Believe in Times of Crisis' Strangle...

**"Juri"**

**-from girl to oracle-**

**By CLAMPraven**

* * *

~ To Believe in Times of Crisis ~

Part 34 of the Legend of Juri - Stranglehold

* * *

(So, as Suzaku was saying last chapter...)

_Suzaku: RUN!!!!!_

(Everyone had headed out into the staircase, searching for the quickest exit: a window, an inter-dimensional portal, or otherwise. Now that CLAMPraven was a full-fledged white chocolate akuma, all the cast of Juri could do was run for their lives.)

_(cast of Juri): Run for your lives!!!_

(Ahem. I SAID THAT!!!)

(In any case, they're running for their lives. Duh. But what are the fangirls doing?!)

_(fangirls): (shrugs) We dunno. What are we doing?_

(Why, they're all standing their ground! Ladies and gents, looks like they're going to fight the akuma!!)

_(fangirls): Oh. (pause) **WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!?!?**_

(CLAMPraven crushes the tiles beneath her feet as she stomps out of her office. During the time between the author's notes, it looks as though she'd grown a full set of devil wings and a few warts, as if she didn't have enough of those already. The frothing at her mouth is falling on the floor, sizzling, and immediately dissolving through.)

**(laughs maniacally) OHOHOHOHOHO!!!! WHITE CHOCOLATE ~ WHITE CHOCOLATE!!! HEEHEHEHEHEHEHE (BURP) HEHEHEHEhehehehe (zort) hehehehee....**

(Oh, and did I mention she'll be talking in bold font in the akuma form?)

_Otaku Pitcher: Devil wings? Warts? Talking in bold font?! What else can she do?!?_

(Suddenly, and without warning, one of the larger warts on CLAMPraven's face exploded in a gushing array of pus and bacteria, revealing one of the most deadly weapons of all time...)

-CLAMPraven 

* * *

~Hitori~

The golden light gradually faded away, leaving me in the palace. 

Fanning out my robes and glancing quickly around, I could tell that I was inside the Koudoutai shrine...the praying room, to be exact. Right next to me was a miniature golden statuette of the scale of Libra, my symbol. 

It was much more rapid, to arrive here in the shrine, instead of somewhere else. My symbols radiated energy, to guide me to them, as I travel from plane to plane.

I could smell the incense, and the rust of the figurines. I sensed that there were others in this room before me...the two monks, who had discovered their love for each other on the spot I stood on. They were on the floor, kissing passionately, not so long ago. Even though they'd never imagined loving one another before, the two men were very intense together.

My nose scrunched up disdainfully.

/How sickening./

But there was another there before as well. A certain voyeur. Otomeza.

My hand lit up with fiery energy...

-

~CLAMPraven~

I stared at the two monks hopelessly.

What would Juri do...? What would Juri say? If she were here to advise me about something like this, what could she possibly tell me to help the situation?

They love each other. The only thing this would do is rain on their parade! 

But to be sincere, I must...

You must believe in times of crisis. Never doubt yourself. They love you more than you know; it doesn't matter if you tell them what you saw. They wouldn't abandon you, even if they seem angry. They are not going to hold it a secret forever, either.

That's what she'd say.

Breathing deeply, I concentrated all of my courage at one pinpoint: my heart. "Taikou? Enri?"

Both monks turned around, surprised by my unusually shaky voice.

"CLAMP-chan?" Taikou stared at me with obvious concern. "You're shivering. Are you alright?"

"It's alright," I assured them, mustering a small smile, that miraculously enough, was enough to hold back an ocean of contrasting emotions. My confidence had to work; it just had to. Besides, if Juri recommended it, even if it is just in my mind, how could it be wrong?

"Taikou, Enri...? I'm sorry...I've been hiding something, from the both of you, for a little while now. It's time that I told you; I -" 

Then it happened.

(**BOOOOOOOM!!!!!!**)

A piercing explosion shattered the silence, rumbling down the halls to greet us with a bang!

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!"

"TAIKOU!!!! ENRI!!!!" I shrieked, fanning the dust clouds away from my eyes furiously. "Where are you?!?"

The explosion had cleared away the wall that separated the Koudoutai meeting room from the rest of the hall. At the fierce reverberations of the sound, the windows all gained long jagged faults cracked into their surfaces, leaving small rivers of rain to trickle in where the crushed shards used to be. 

"CLAMPraven!!" Enri grasped my arm, as the last of the dust cleared away. In his free arm, he clutched Taikou, blood streaming down the pink-haired monk's forehead from the impact.

Putting a hand to my mouth in fright, I stared at the source of the explosion.

Thunder groaned in the distance, while lightning illuminated the contours of a sadistic face, standing where the wall used to be...

-

~Jenny~

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!"

The scream snapped me out of my daydream. "Aya?! Aya, what's wrong?!"

On the bed next to me, the Otomeza no Mikoto had broken out into a cold sweat. Shivering and murmuring indiscernibly, while clawing at the sheets, he had now broken into spasms of great pain.

Frantically, I rushed towards him, not sure of what to do. "Aya...?"

Jerking suddenly towards me, in a motion that was too fast to explain, the childlike Mikoto buried himself in my clothing, sobbing uncontrollably. His eyes, which had once been shades of the rainbow, and beautiful in an ethereal way, were now confused and fearful.

"He's here...oh, gods, he's here..."

The thunder reverberated again in the distance. And in that cold, damp silence, all my fears lit up in a flash...

-

~Enri~

"Hitori?!?" CLAMPraven screamed, as soon as the robed figure came into light. 

The Tenbinza no Mikoto chuckled sourly, extending the white wings on his back as if to show them off, giving him the look of a fallen angel. His aura shone like a wicked fire, around the mace he held in one hand and the scale he held in the other. Although he didn't stand a great height, it didn't seem to matter, and with the effect of the constant lightning, illuminating his cold eyes, he was an image of pure evil unlike any other.

"Yes...and as elaborately devilish as before, as you can see..." Hitori bit his lip. "Although, this time, I do think I'm here to stay, as I have so much to straighten up with you all..."

I stared. This was the monster that Taikou preached under?

Staring at the unconscious monk, I could hardly believe it. Taikou was a Koudoutai monk, like all the others, but like all Koudoutai monks, he chose to preach under one in particular. For me, that one was Uoza; for Priest Seiun, that one was Otomeza. For Taikou, it was Tenbinza. 

*/How could someone so innocent be a follower of that creature...?!/*

"I heard that."

Shocked, I averted my gaze from my koi to see that Tenbinza was smirking at me.

The blond wagged a teasing finger at me, his grin revealing flashes of white teeth. "Uoza no Mikoto's not the only one who can read minds; you're a pretty little monk, I'll give you that, but not too bright!"

I couldn't stand it. 

Kneeling there, with my lover limp in my grasp, I felt most helpless as Hitori mocked me. If the cheerful pink monk could only open his eyes for me there and then, it would give me the strength I needed to topple the Mikoto...! But those love-filled eyes weren't there, and with CLAMPraven terrified as well, I didn't know what to do...

The Nyan-Nyan next to me shuddered, tears of fright streaming down her face. "You lunatic...why the hell are you trying to kill one of your own minions, huh?! Taikou has done nothing to upset you!! He _worships _you for Suzaku's sake!!!" In a flash of blazing red light and smoke, she'd transformed into a dragon in the middle of the room. "Well?!?"

"Oh, he's not dead yet..." Hitori shook his head, still grinning. "He's just knocked out for the moment. At least, I think he is." The Mikoto shrugged and laughed, a maniacal sound that echoed down the halls. "Who knows? I might kill him just for the heck of it! But certainly not right now.

"I should think that you would've known by now; I have more important things to do than to bother with Sakurayume Taikou's business. He's not done anything to me, except that his worship makes me stronger, and I am grateful for that, but you know, he isn't exactly the perfect monk, either; he hasn't exactly been putting me first, as the life of a monk like himself clearly demands. So why should I be cutting him any slack? 

"Because the rule of chastity binds against what he had done, I can't label him as innocent. A monk who worships with all his heart...does not need the touch of another man."

-

~Chichiri~

With a mighty crash, the doors to the kitchen bashed open, followed by the screams of horror from the kitchen servants. Like a whirlwind, I brushed past them, propelled by my magic, shaken by the energy I had felt...

"Why is it that we never get a decent break, no da...?!" I muttered, flinging the tables out of my way in my hurry, passing by clouds of flour and incense I had carelessly knocked over. My mask was ripped off my face, and tossed to the side. In the mess, china bowls were chipped and smashed, and heavy amounts of furniture was tossed aside.

A huge amount of energy was here. I could feel it. And if our luck was bad enough, it might just have been the one Mikoto that we'd dreaded...

"Gomen nasai, na no da!!" I hurled over my shoulder as I left the disaster area...

"CHICHIRI!!! MATTE YO!!!"

"Ne?" I turned around, to see Miaka and Tasuki breathlessly chasing after me. My heels grinded to a halt. "Thank the gods you guys are here, no da! I would've alerted everyone else, but both Aya and Hotohori's chambers were on the other side of the palace, and there was absolutely no time, no da!! You have to come with me!"

Miaka panted heavily. "Okay, okay...but can you please...slow down, Chichiri? We can't...exactly...run right now..." She added embarrassingly. "We've..."

I gazed at them indifferently. "Been ransacking the kitchen, right?"

As if on cue, a loud burp erupted out of the bandit's mouth from too much liquor. Both of them sweatdropped. I clasped a hand to my forehead in exasperation.

"Now is seriously not the time for _that_, no da..."

-

~CLAMPraven~

_"...he does not need the touch of another man."_

Those words echoed mercilessly in my head as I stared at the Mikoto, aghast. 

Up until now, I couldn't believe that Hitori had the nerve to say such things. But once again, I was proven wrong.

Kneeling next to me, Enri's face was a mix of shock and fury. Rivers of tears flowed down his face like the rain, as he hugged Taikou's body tighter; I think I might've been crying too, in my hovering dragon form. Slowly, the white-haired monk turned to me, shaking his head numbly as if in disbelief, his eyes pleading...

"CLAMPraven...I...we..."

Quickly, I averted my gaze, afraid that he'd read my mind if I locked eyes with him. "I...know."

There was a long, painful, lightning-lit pause, for my words to sink in...then the monk sighed. 

"I should've figured it out. That's what you were trying to tell me; that's why you looked so confused when you saw us together. In your head and in your heart, it was like fighting a war, wasn't it? Whether to accept us or to - "

"In the end, there was no alternative," I assured him quietly with a wink. "Don't worry...I'd never try to split you guys up and hurt Taikou."

I glanced at the pink-oriented monk, the ranting, raving, beautiful man that we'd both fallen for.

"I like him too much."

-

~Irasa~

Walking down the silent halls, I contemplated. 

The rain was still pouring from the heavens. Thunder still rumbled in the horizon; to me, it was a mysterious phenomenon. Where others would jump at its roaring, I would have no idea what had happened. In a way, it was worse than knowing that it was there...it was not knowing how to fear, and on the same note, not knowing that its bark is worse than its bite. 

A world without sound was a silent, acid-washed film strip...a world without such a precious sense is always unbearable; the only thing keeping me from sanity was not knowing what I was missing.

_/But not having a sense was better than not having a life, right?/_

My pace sped up with this notion. Hotohori's life was still at stake. It was more important than worrying about what I lack. Especially since it was partly my fault in the first place.

The fact that the snake had a curse didn't matter. It was the fact that it was venomous, and at this rate, the emperor's healers were convinced that Heika-sama would die in a matter of hours, if not sooner. 

Everyone who knew was grieving. Tamahome, Mitsukake, Byakko, and all the servants that stayed by his bedside. Empress Houki, who had cried all her tears and threatened to execute the doctors if they couldn't do something, anything...she'd pray, if there was a god up there. 

_/But there wasn't, and that was half the problem./_

I was on my way to the laundry rooms, to fetch more towels for Hotohori. Now, as I carried the damp towels in my arms, I was heading back for the royal chamber. I had passed halls and halls in the palace, and was just about to get there, when I felt a hand on my shoulder.

I turned around. It was Juri! 

She was frantically talking, trying to tell me something. Behind her was Aya, clutching his head and moaning. I frowned. Something was wrong.

"Slow down!" I told her, grabbing her shoulders. "And don't rant!"

Juri inhaled deeply, and mouthed the words. "Go back to Hotohori; tell everyone to go to the Koudoutai shrine, as fast as they can, and have the servants take over. It's Hitori."

My eyes widened in fear. "...It can't...be..."

In my frozen mind, I thought I heard thunder.

-

~Hitori~

I grinned. "What an interesting day this is turning out to be."

The white-haired monk and the black-haired Nyan-Nyan were bonding, right before my eyes...! To watch such an ironic scene unfold was truly semblance to one of those soap operas Byakko liked to watch back in heaven. And with it being as corny as it was, I couldn't help witnessing the end results.

"Two lovers of the same man, and somehow, everything manages to sort itself out," I commented casually, as both glared at me with renewed fervor. "But of course, that's not the only common interest you two have. You both want to kill me, right?"

"It's not impossible, now, is it?" Enri retorted. "The Mikotos are immortal, but not invincible. They can live beyond old age...as long as no one tries to destroy them."

"My dragon form should be my most powerful, next to the Sakura Griffin that I don't know how to access, but even that's too f*cking easy on you. Except, once we get back-up, we can earn all of Suzaku's souls back. When Juri has all of her candles, and we manage to make the Battle of Shin'ai backfire, you'll be the one to go. Seeing you bleed to death would be very satisfying." CLAMPraven hissed, her dragon tongue flickering out. "And if that means sending me to hell along with, it would still be an easy price to pay!"

"Well, you wouldn't exactly put it that way, would you, no da?"

-

~CLAMPraven~

My dragon head nearly spun off its neck, trying to find the source of the voice. "Chichiri!!!"

Leaning coolly against the doorway on the other side of the room was the blue-haired monk, staff in hand, a smirk on his handsome features. And in the corner, looking...not so good, were the Miko and bandit, one retching, the other's head spinning and bumping into walls.

"We decided to teleport, to avoid them running out of breath..." Chichiri sweatdropped. "Not such a good idea, no da..."

Miaka finally managed to stand up. "Oops. Well, um...there goes dinner, I think..."

"Damn walls...!!" Tasuki's eyes were swirling from too much liquor.

Being huge in the dragon form, I couldn't exactly slap them shamelessly as I would normally do; in fact, it took quite a lot of effort just to turn around, in such a small room. In fact, all I really could do was glare over my butt. 

Next to me, Enri looked annoyed, but relieved, wiping off his tears. "So this is our heroic squad? I never would've guessed..."

"It's not just them, though!! We're here, too!!"

"Juri! Aya!!" I cried happily, to see that the two of them stepping out of a burst of light, in the hallway behind Hitori. 

Now almost everyone is here!!

Only together can we make miracles happen; and a miracle is going to happen. I can sense it.

"Likewise, we took the shortcut teleporting...but with better results!" Juri then glared at Hitori, her lantern in hand. "So Aya's senses were right...you were here!!" Her red eyes were menacing. "How dare you show your face back here again after what you've done?!"

"It's not really a matter of daring..." Hitori replied, unfazed by the crowd, and brandishing his golden mace. "It's really a matter of finding the traitor. And on that note..." He smiled sweetly. "Thank you for bringing him to me!"

-

~Suzaku~

I ran through the soaked grass, my clothes drenched with the water of the sky, the droplets that Juri still hadn't told me the names of. I was breathing heavily, and worried...

_Something's happening, something that I can't explain...! _

_Someone's in danger...I can feel it!_

_I have to...have to get to that building...with the red doors..._

Frantically, my eyes darted around in the stark night. Guided by a brilliant blast of lightning, I found the place I was looking for. The doors had been opened. People must've inside. What was going on?

_I didn't know what had happened, what's going to happen..._

_But something feels familiar about this, as though it had happened before...!!_

-

~Aya~

"There is no way in hell he's going with you!!" CLAMPraven snarled in her dragon form, startling me. 

Up until now, she'd only used the red dragon form 5 times in her life; this was one of those times when it was absolutely necessary. But her form was a stationary one, as it was too big to move around in the room, and Hitori knew it wasn't threatening. 

The others meant nothing to him, either. He could wipe them out in one shot if he needed to. 

A game. That's all this is to him. A game that meant nothing and only stalled our own time. 

_We still don't stand a chance until Irasa brings the others..._

From there, I knew what I had to do. 

Clearing my throat, to direct his attention away from the dragon and to me, I stepped forward, hoping to look determined. "Thank you, CLAMPraven, but I'm afraid this will never be your battle. If you want to fight anyone, it has to be me, Hitori. Because I know the real reason why you came.

"It has everything to do with me, because I was the one that told them about what happened to Akigo Kano."

And for a split second, I thought I saw a ghost of a tear on the Tenbinza no Mikoto's face. 

"Admit it!" I pressed on. "It was because I told them that you are here, and trying to hurt us. None of this would be happening if I hadn't come to earth and decided to aid them by telling your past! You're just angry and hurt, and you think you can run away from it if you destroy me?"

In a flash, Hitori's real face was there, staring back at me, a look of hurt. 

But no one else saw it, and before I could even blink in surprise, he had put on yet another mask, a mast of mock thoughtfulness this time, as he rubbed his chin. 

He finally shook his head. "Hm...no, probably not. Because whether I destroy you or not, which I can't according to my Magna Charta anyway, you will always be a pest, both here - " he pointed to his head, " - and here." He pointed to his heart. "It's hard to believe that you can do this, seeing as you are one of our weakest, but your emotional beliefs easily make you naive enough to get on everyone's nerves. That's about the only thing you're good for."

Everyone else looked shocked at this strangely calm conversation. I knew I hadn't lost yet.

Chuckling, my hand began to glow, and in a swift motion, out of thin air, I had pulled out the weapon of love, the supreme golden standing a great height, higher than myself. Each of the arrows I carried on my back were carved with specific incantations, kanji, and symbols to crucify those which were evil. 

"Oh, that's what you call me now? Am I a child? In a world with few children, Hitori, I actually consider it a blessing. I'd rather be naive and dreamy with a hopeful heart than those who can prophesize disasters and contemplate the meaning of their existence, simply because the more they know, the more they start to believe that they have no potential in life. Wisdom drugs them, but their futile ways shall never touch me, as my childish fantasies make me one of the lovers, higher than the stars."

My brows furrowed.

"And I will let no one disillusion me. Not even you."

It was at this point that Juri grasped my shoulder warningly. "Aya, don't be foolish! You can't fight him!!"

"No, he can't," Hitori agreed. "Not here."

"Perhaps it is better to play on our own turf, Hitori-_chan_?" I offered. 

He chuckled, a bitter, sarcastic sound, but nonetheless giving me permission to do as I wished. In his eyes, I could see that he agreed to what I was thinking. 

CLAMPraven was worried. "What are you planning to do...?" 

It was at the end of that question that Hitori vanished into the abyss, in a last burst of golden energy that blinded all of us...

"What just...happened...?" 

Suzaku stood in the hall, in a small puddle. Drenched and desperate, he stared at each of us individually, before stopping at Aya. "Where did Hitori go...?"

"You remember Hitori?!" Juri cried, but I silenced both of them.

"Everyone...this is it. I'm afraid it had come to the point where we absolutely must have our final encounter with Hitori. We'd already agreed on the place and the time. I'm sorry everything had to be decided this quickly, but he would kill us if we wait any longer. I'd already angered him with my telling you his relationship with Kano and - "

"It's okay," Enri said firmly, stroking Taikou's hair. "We will be fine, regardless. We'll never regret your sacrifice; because of this, your life is at stake as well. Just tell us when and where."

"We're not afraid to be the fighters we need to be, no da." Chichiri nodded, with Miaka and Tasuki acknowledging also.

"It's at times like these that we have to do all our godforsaken struggling, but hell, it's all worth it when you're fighting for something this important," CLAMPraven added, with a glance at Juri, then Suzaku, making sure they knew it was their relationship she was getting at.

Juri returned her friend's stare gratefully. "It is a bit strange, having the ultimate battle, even before CLAMPraven acquires the Sakura Griffin morph. And I only have two candles, but as long as we have the will to achieve, we will prove our strength to the world, and defeat the Tenbinza no Mikoto. I'll never doubt that my love with Suzaku is forever, but it will die like a candle in the rain if we don't go for what we need in our relationship! And what we need now is for Hitori to change his beliefs!"

My eyes widened in shock, then my gaze softened. 

_Oh, gods..._

_Warriors...that's what they are. That's what they all are. Even Miaka, who started out being a simple sophomore who only wanted to eat and sleep...she managed to take her seishi to victory against the Seiryuu! Even Juri, who started out being a lonely Torontonian fangirl, and even CLAMPraven, who started out being a popular, spoilt brat, managed to become friends and become different people with their experiences. _

_You'd never expect those individuals like Enri, the feminist who constantly tried to keep his cool, but never can, and the crazy ranting Taikou, to make it to this point, but they - all of them - do it with three things._

_Love, wisdom, and hope. The three binding emotions with no limits._

_We can make it with these binds. We can make it._

This made me feel more confident in telling them. I inhaled softly.

"We're going to meet Hitori again...in heaven, as soon as everyone's here. We still have to wait for everyone who is coming from Hitori's And from there, we can settle our disputes."

Everyone was silent. 

"Heaven? How do we get to heaven, though?!" Miaka asked, stunned at the aspect of going to heaven at such an early age. 

Aya shrugged, as his huge bow and arrows disappeared in a flash of violet light. "Easy. I teleport you all there. We'll stay in my realm until you can safely go to Hitori's. From there, I might even be able to recruit some other Mikotos for our cause! Even though that's not very likely."

"But Taikou's still unconscious!!" Enri cried, hugging the pink-haired monk closer, who's forehead had stopped bleeding by now. "When I said that we were ready, I didn't mean that we should take crazy risks! Taikou's still knocked out, and he can't fight! There is an overwhelming chance of him getting even heavier injuries or getting killed, and none of us can afford that, especially not me!!"

Juri blinked. "Um, Enri..."

"And furthermore," the white-haired monk continued, "there are no healers within the vicinity who can automatically wake him up! It would be best if he stayed here, not knowing what had happened between us and Hitori until we come back! It would not only be easier on his mind, but on mine as well!"

Chichiri was stunned. "Enri, no da..."

"And in conclusion, it would be homicidal to take him to heaven to battle against Hitori, and it would also be unfair to one of our own!! If he must stay, then let him stay!! And as his lover, you seriously don't want to get me angry!!!"

This was followed by dead silence. 

Enri, suddenly realizing what he had let slip out, freaked out more than before. "I mean...no! I didn't mean to say that!! Not yet anyway!! I mean...I...we...um...uh..." 

CLAMPraven started laughing.

* * *

_But none of them realized it. Something was still amiss..._

* * *

~Byakko~

Outside, the rain had cleared up. Everyone who had been in Hotohori's room was sitting on the steps, their bloodshot eyes brimmed with tears. Irasa leaned against me, sobbing into my shirt, as the others huddled around in much the same fashion, our sadness like an invisible cloak, around all of us.

"What are you all doing out here? Hm?"

I looked up, my eyes narrowing as I met the sun, then the head of Priest Seiun.

"Don't you know that Hitori was in the Koudoutai Shrine? Hm? I'd just gotten there a second ago from the other end of the palace, to see the damage; you have to go, hm! They probably need us!"

Shaking my head, I turned away. "No...we already knew, and we...can't face the others right now..."

"Hm?!" The priest sounded angry, yet concerned. "What is wrong with all of you, hm?!"

Irasa sobbed louder than ever. 

I could still remember that look on her face...she'd come back from the laundry, to get fresh towels for Hotohori-sama. After she passed Juri and Aya, she ran faster than ever, reaching the chamber a few minutes ago to tell us that Hitori was in the palace. 

But no one had the heart to go, and the sight that met the serpentine girl's eyes made her cry immediately. We were crouched around his bed, to hear him say the Suzaku no Miko's name with his last breath...

"Well? What happened, hm?!"

I squeezed the newest addition to Juri's candles in my hand. It was a golden shade, with the glowing kanji 'sei' carved into its surface. It was deathly beautiful.

* * *

(Ah...laughing and dying, and Enri ranting for what could possibly be the first time in his fictional life. So, like I was saying, CLAMPraven's wart exploded, and a shape came out of the pus...)

_Chibigreenwizardmon: (stares) Eeeewwww...(perks) hey!! What is that?! (sparkly eyes) It's cute!!!_

_Draconsis: Something jumped out of her wart! What in all hells -_

**(Wait. You don't know what it is?)**

(Noir...? What are you doing here?)

_Otaku Pitcher: (scratches her chin) It looks familiar, but I'm not sure I remember..._

**(WHA - ?!? Haven't you girls ever seen a Mokona before?)**

_(fangirls): A Mokona? (stares)_

(For those of us not familiar with CLAMP and the story of Magic Knight Rayearth...well, above all, you should be, but...)

(Mokona is the supreme mahou shoujo fluffy mascot of all mahou shoujo fluffy mascots. Never doubt its power!! It's a bit marshmallow-shaped with a jewel on its forehead and a face that looks like Chichiri's mask, but it has no other face and is actually much, much more evil. It has two extending ears, Pikachu length, to give it the look of a contorted bunny, with long feet and a skin pink color (doesn't it also have a tail?). The one thing it can say is 'puu', as if that's not deadly enough. In the series? Well, Hikaru loves it, Umi hates it, and Fuu calls it Mokona - SAN. Note the emphasis. Not everyone can tolerate it.)

(You can find pictures of Mokona in any Magic Knight Rayearth shrine since it's so damn annoying and hard to get rid of. And for fans of MKR who already know Mokona in the anime, you should also know that it is the creator of the world of Cephiro in the manga.)

(And as for the legal issues, you should also know I have plenty of signs I can whip out from thin air, any time of the day, saying that CLAMPraven doesn't own Magic Knight Rayearth or the marshmallow. There. That should do it!)

_Mokona: (leers) Puuuuu...._

_Draconsis: (clearly overwhelmed) O - kay...so how do we kill it?_

(Well, frankly, Draconsis, I don't know. Ice attacks, monsters, and two evil giant mecha couldn't do it in the manga. And that was only the first part. (this is the only reference CLAMPraven has...) Typically, it runs away.)

_Mokona: (leers) Puuuu...._

_Chibigreenwizardmon: Is it actually leering at us?! (pulls out Sakuyamon's shakujou from the anime)_

_Otaku Pitcher: (raises eyebrow) You never mentioned it being perverted, but at this point, I don't think I want to know..._

_Mokona: (leers at Draconsis in particular) Puuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu..._

_Draconsis: (eyes bulge out) Oh, for Christ's sake!!! (takes out mallet and smooshes it to a pulp)_

(Well...um...the first of the challenges are over...see you next time?)

-CLAMPraven 


	36. To Believe in Times of Crisis' Departur...

**"Juri"**

**-from girl to oracle-**

**By CLAMPraven**

* * *

~ To Believe in Times of Crisis ~

Part 35 of the Legend of Juri - Departure

* * *

**(And now, for even more disclaimers! We no own 'Perfect World' or 'Aoi Jiyuu, Shiroi Nozomi'!!)**

(Now back to our regularly scheduled programming (we're sorry that it took so long!!! Forgive the strange and illusive system of Fanfiction.net!! And us, of course...). Quite easily, the lecherous Mokona was defeated in the last AN, thanks to Draconsis's speedy approach and zero-tolerance persona. But just as the girls thought it was all fine and good...)

(Another of CLAMPraven's humongous warts exploded!!!!)

_Draconsis: ...holy shit. What is that?! (points at the thing that jumped out)_

_Otaku Pitcher: (holds her head with closed eyes) Tell me that is not another cute fluffy mascot. Tell me that is not another cute fluffy mascot. I despise cute fluffy mascots. Narrator, you never told us that CLAMPraven was three-fold..._

(Er...no. Not the normal CLAMPraven. Just this one. What, you think ** I** knew she was going to be like this?!)

_(Fangirls): (accusing looks)_

(And besides, it'll be over soon! She can't stay to fight with you; you're just distractions from her plan of world domination, after all., She'll have to stop toying with you three sooner or later, and that's when you tackle the big one!)

_Otaku Pitcher: (still holding her head with closed eyes) Ever consider the fact that we might ** not** want to ** do that**?! (approaching hysteria) Oh...I despise cute fluffy mascots...tell me that's not another cute fluffy mascot...oh, for the love of Chichiri, have mercy!!!_

(As the thing rises out of the pus and bacteria, it struck fear in the hearts of the innocent girls.) 

_Draconsis: (stare) Ne? WTF?!?_

(It was small, about the size of a tennis ball, and covered in curly yellow fur, except for the top of his head, which was covered in blue fur. Looking seemingly harmless, it hovered, like a mahou shoujo rendition of Mr. Potato Head (we no own). It had small limbs, and huge Sailormoon eyes, except that it was not from Sailormoon, but from Ai Densetsu Wedding Peach. Figures.)

_Chibigreenwizardmon: (raises eyebrow) Jamapi?_

(Eh? How'd you know that?)

_Chibigreenwizardmon: (winks) (takes out a thinking cap from her multi-dimensional pocket, a la Doraemon) Even when it's not on my head, it works like a charm!_

(And naturally, Otaku Pitcher bursts.)

_Otaku Pitcher: 0_0 AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!! (takes out the thumping stick from hell) DIEDIEDIEDIEDIE!!!!! (squishes Jamapi to a pulp) I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE!!! GET ME OUT OF HERE ~ !!! (tries to dash for the stairs, but is held back by the other fangirls)_

(For as everyone could see, more of CLAMPraven's warts were erupting...by the dozens!!!)

_Otaku Pitcher: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! (eyes roll back in her head and dies)_

(At the same time, Suzaku and co. are still running down the stairs!!!)

_Nuriko: (panting) Are you sure, Suzaku?! Are you POSITIVE that laying down the explosives on the stairs is a good idea?! How do you even know that CLAMPraven's going to come down here?! For all you know, we could blast the fangirls by accident - HEY!!!!! MATTE YO!!!! ONEGAI!!! _

-CLAMPraven 

* * *

~Byakko~

Slowly we made our way to the shrine. Seiun didn't need an explanation; when he saw the golden candle in my palm, he understood immediately, and escorted all of us across the gardens, through the debris blocking the entrance to the shrine...

The scene that met our eyes was a quaint one...

CLAMPraven had transformed out of her dragon form in a burst of smoke, and now joined Juri's side, in a mutual silence. They grasped each other's hands, praying silently. Suzaku wrapped his arms around both girls, and though he still didn't truly understand, he could feel the intense sorrow radiating from the two. That was something even an amnesiac could understand...pure emotion.

Near the trio was the Miko. Miaka, in a rare state of thought that was completely unlike herself, was sitting alone, her aura separating her from all of the others. By the strange look in her eyes, one could tell that the lives of all that she loved were flashing by in her mind, and the cost of battle was taken into consideration...but no tears. And though no one would ever call Miaka a powerful woman, that was exactly what she was; in this rare state of affairs, the stronger side of her took control. Thank goodness for that.

Sitting atop a pile of the debris in a corner of the room was Tasuki, next to a contemplating Aya. It felt strange, seeing such a child-like creature who looked so much like Nuriko sitting next to the bandit, in an almost brotherly position...leaning on his shoulder, in fact, and humming a slow song I recognized to be 'Perfect World'. Tasuki, now recovered from drinking, gazed around the room silently, as if trying to remember the room, to prepare for a trip somewhere else.

Chichiri sat in another corner by himself, with a pile of broken dishes from his race through the kitchen; he seemed to be busy putting them back together and trying to fix them with his magic. Although it wasn't so wise to waste his strength at that point in time, he vowed to make up the damage in his rush to the maids and servants. Aside from that, he still had a few tables and antique vases to repair, as well as trying to find a spare mask.

And adjacent to the blue-haired monk were Taikou and Enri, holding each other and -

Waaaaaaaaaaaaait.

Hold on a second.

"N-N-NANI?!?" I stopped in my tracks, forcing the others to stop behind me and gasp in surprise as well. "What in the name of Yuu-sama is - "

"Byakko? You're here?" Juri glanced back over her shoulder, to see us standing in the hallway. Tracking my eyes, she immediately found what we'd been staring at, and broke into sweatdrops. "Er...that is..."

By this time, everyone in the room was glancing at us, and then at Taikou and Enri, who, of course, were too busy in their own affairs to acknowledge it. Namely, they were kissing. Sure, Enri was obviously trying to bandage the wound over Taikou's head before we came in, but for god knows why... 

"Oh, yeah...that..." Aya giggled nervously. "Um...we didn't exactly know about them up until now either...we planned to tell you before!"

Miaka cocked her head to one side in confusion. "You look really pale, Byakko-sama..."

Aya shook his head. "Long story. You wouldn't call him homophobic, really, but from what I heard back when he was in heaven..."

"Homophobic?" Suzaku wondered out loud, catching Juri's attention.

The raven-haired girl was frozen in embarrassment, and fumbling with the right words. "Well...erm, Suzaku...I don't think you're ready for that level of vocab right now...how about saving that for after we're finished with Hitori?"

"Well, it should seem that way, no da." Chichiri commented. "He's not exactly moving, is he, na no da?"

True. I was frozen on the spot.

_Damn. Damndamndamndamndamndamn. And mind the fact that I never swear unless it's a worldly crisis. _

_Taikou...and Enri...are gay?!?_

_How did that happen?! WHEN did that happen?! WHY DID THAT HAPPEN?!? By the gods that are left in heaven, this isn't just one little screw-up...even putting aside the fact that they're monks!!! Now is not the time, the place, and under the circumstances - _

(WHACK!) "BYAKKO!!!"

Irasa's slap on my face resounded off the walls. Everyone was stunned, including the two monks, who had broken off their kiss abruptly, the chill of the sound reverberating up and down their spines.

Taikou held his throbbing head wound, as Enri's eyes widened in fear.

Silently, the serpentine girl swiped the golden sei candle out of my hand, and walked into the middle of the room, her steps heavy as lead. Amidst gasps, she held the candle up, for all to see. 

"Damn Hitori, and damn all his curses..." The hiss was barely audible, full of fury and bitterness. "Damn it all...the curse was never removable. It was false hope all along that we could do a thing. The only way to remove the snake venom was to filter his blood for it!!! Now...Hotohori-sama...is DEAD!!!" Her fist squeezed the candle so tight, it looked about to break in two. "DEAD!!! Dead by my hands, by Byakko's hands, by Juri's hands, by Hitori's hands...and by the GODFORSAKEN HANDS OF FATE ~ !!!!!"

-

~Jenny~

Ten minutes. Twenty minutes. Thirty minutes.

I wondered...how much time had gone by?

The glow of the sei candle, at first lighting, was undeservingly breathtaking. With that same match, I lit also the yanagi candle, as well as the cho candle, reuniting the three of them with traces of the same flame. 

I wondered...if they could still feel each other's presence, in Hitori's darkness?

What the sei candle's power was...was still beyond me, but to fight Hitori I had to know eventually. And I would...when eventually comes to me...to all of us. 

Irasa's sobbing died down after a while...so did all of ours. At first, the reaction was unbearable. When we took the Medusa girl away to try and calm her down, the full impact of the news hit our Miko and Miaka started shrieking and screaming, denying that it was true, that Hotohori was really gone. Tamahome held her tightly, and together their tears melded together. 

Taikou and Enri were horrified as well, and it took Seiun pounding sense back into them (literally) for them to finally come to terms with reality again. It was hard to do, because things were finally going right for them, with their newly discovered love. Tasuki was in a similar state, and had to go out in the hallway, in which many frightening bursts of flame could be seen, exploding in various directions, and destroying various glass windows. The bandit's cursing and his tessen was all that he had, to stop himself from thinking about the agony. CLAMPraven, leaning against the doorway, watched as the fireworks flashed, sighing and wondering how this had come to pass at all.

Aya felt horribly guilty. Treading through the debris, he sat on a small patch of dirty ground, all by himself; by the look on his face, the same scene where he was screaming out a warning to us from the Koudoutai shrine was playing over and over in his head. It had been too late a warning, though, and he felt that not only was he the cause of the death, he was the cause of all the broken hearts and guilt, in connection to what had happened.

Mitsukake and Byakko, likewise, stood silently in a small corner by their lonesome. The doctor looked down angrily at his hands, upset beyond words that he had let yet another slip through his fingers, while Byakko leaned against the wall, hardly caring about Enri and Taikou's relationship anymore.

All of our thoughts were unanimous, no matter what we chose to do about it, and I could feel it eating away at me as well.

Hotohori...

Gods, I never got to know the emperor as well as I should. Yet he fought for my cause at the risk of his own life, many times before...

I feel as though I own him more guilt than I'd imagined...

Shuddering, I put a hand to my heart, to measure the rapid pounding in my chest. My conscience never fell behind. It knew I had caused this.

It's all my fault. All of us feel guilty, but if I had never come here to this world, there wouldn't have been any complications. CLAMPraven told me that they all survived through the Seiryuu before we came back. If I hadn't come back, they'd have happily lived through the war, with all the Seishi alive, and the candles wouldn't have been a problem...

The red-eyed beasts are attracted to my energy, and that's why they're here at all, killing my beloved...

Why did I wish for powers at all...? Why? If Taiitsu-kun hadn't given me this lantern, I would've never known my fate. I would be normal.

_Normal._

Shaking my head, I blew out the match, closed the lid to the lantern, and pushed the object to one side, where Suzaku was admiring its flames.

"Do I even know the meaning of that word anymore?"

I heard someone clear their throat, and turned to find its source.

Next to me, Chichiri stared out into the sky, which, despite having just cleared up, looked about ready for another storm. His good eye traveled to me. "The trouble with heaven, no da...sometimes it makes no sense what we're put on this earth to do, if only to hurt the ones we love, na no da. But even when there was a god in heaven, it doesn't listen to our pleading, no da. And even if you think it's hopeless, it never truly is, no da." He glared at me. "So don't feel sorry for yourself. You have done nothing wrong that I can see, no da."

Sighing, I gazed at Suzaku, whose eyes were still glued to the combined light of the candles. "I wish it could be that simple to forgive myself, Chichiri. But there is still one more red-eyed demon to go...and as soon as it strikes, all hell would fly loose, another seishi would die, all the candles would be gathered, I'd turn into the dark Oracle Juri, CLAMPraven would probably turn into the Sakura Griffin Yohko, we'd have to fight Hitori even though the seishi don't have their powers and everyone feels guilty; worst of all, I think I know who's going to die next..."

With one red eye, I glanced off in Mitsukake's direction. 

The four symbols on each side of the lantern were engraved: Nuriko, Chiriko, Hotohori, and Mitsukake, the last and the only one we still had amongst us. Although I had changed the destinies of the seishi a great deal, their only fates were to die. Even after we'd done so much... 

He was next. 

This would be the most tragic of all. The healer felt like dirt, for doing nothing through all three deaths so far. Would I let him...?

All the evidence pointed to Mitsukake. He was next, according to the lantern. Although I'd changed the future greatly, each and every death had been dead on so far. Nuriko. Chiriko. Hotohori. Now...

Would it be right again...?

I didn't have the heart to tell the monk beside me what I thought. But he traced my stare, to glance once at Mitsukake, once at the seishi's symbol on my lantern, and once at me. Clarity shone in his eyes, and although his stare lacked the flare that was his seishi power, I think he vaguely understood me. 

He put a hand on my shoulder, like the caring person that he was; and under his breath, I could hear him murmur the words...

"_Aoi sora ni wa, aoi jiyuu ga aru; shiroi kumo ni wa, shiroi nozomi ga aru..._"

Such a simple verse, spoken so softly, made me smile...almost like the first time, and the last time...a miracle that he would know it, but I had a feeling even Chichiri didn't realize he was saying it...

'Aoi Jiyuu, Shiroi Nozomi'...

I wonder if heaven could hear my white wish? Then it would know that freedom is all I long for...in my heart, I knew I had to wish for Mitsukake's happiness, for the happiness of all of the seishi who had sacrificed their lives so far, as well as those of my friends who were still alive. 

In my heart, I could almost envision it. I'd fight Hitori, I'd gain the freedom to love, and then I'd guide them...

To something eternal...

'_Kumo wa kono mama doko e yuku no darou? Hakkari shirenai ishi ga hatarite mo..._'

-

~Tasuki~

Panting from exhaustion, burned and bruised, I studied the damage I'd made.

Nearly all of the windows were shattered, along a row. The floor was badly singed, and so were some of the wooden columns that held up the hallway. My hands, swollen and aching red from holding the metal fan, had long since dropped the object. Cursing under my breath, I reminisced how many times I'd been less than nice to the Emperor of Konan...

//Now it's come to this...//

"You shouldn't over-exhaust yourself...you know that."

"Yeah?" I scoffed. "Well, I for one would rather get the whole goddamned issue over with instead of holding it inside."

CLAMPraven sighed. "Not everyone can cry, Tasuki, and show their feelings. It's not always easy..."

"Never said it was."

"Tasuki..."

"I ain't asking them to follow my example. They'll do what they want, but I...I handle it the only way I know how. And it's a lot better than what they can do...silent tears are worse than the real thing. Hotohori's death will be avenged, and that's all I care about. As long as I do my part, nothing is the matter."

Dusting my hands off, I stood up, picking the tessen off the floor. "They have a hard time crying 'cause they're wiser about death and the likes. They know what's going on better than me, and it kills them inside 'cause they know. I'll always be a little more stupid, so it doesn't surprise me that I don't coop up my emotions like they do. Instead, I throw a fit and burn up the heavens...it feels a lot better, too."

The Nyan-Nyan grinned slightly at my words. "Less and less profanity everyday, huh...?"

I smirked, my fangs flashing. "Damn right!"

"Tasuki! CLAMPraven!"

Standing where the hall met the room was Aya, his bow and arrow in hand, looking grim. "If you have anything else to do at this palace, do it now, because we're going. Now would be a good bathroom break if you need one. No, really, CLAMPraven," he added, seeing her smile.

"So this is where the adventure becomes fatal," CLAMPraven commented wryly, after Aya left the hall to gather up the others. Her cerulean and turquoise eyes were watery. "Hotohori's funeral ceremony will probably be soon, and they'll have to announce the news to the rest of Konan in a few days, at the most. At the same time, any one of us can die at any time...the emperor's death is just a cruel reminder." 

Her voice was weak, as she turned to face me. "I was hoping that everyone would live through this, and that we could have a happy ending to this story, but that just can't be the case. But...thank you for the smiles, the laughs, the stupid adventures we drag each other on, Tasuki. And I hope...I hope that...if my life's cut short during the Battle of Shin'ai..."

She clutched my hand firmly, tears brimming her eyes.

"Your crazy, idiotic, reckless fanged smile...would be the last thing I'd see. Please, Tasuki...?"

I stared at her, shaken. 

The plea had struck a vein, deep inside my heart, and it tore me to pieces.

//CLAMPraven wanted to see _my _smile...before she died...//

//Of all the damned people in the whole entire room that she could've asked this of, she asked this of me. Me, the crazy pyromaniac that drives her insane about twenty times a day as a part of a healthy lifestyle. Me, the dumb bastard that serves as her part-time punching bag, and vice versa. _Me..._//

As I took the small girl in my arms, hugging her fiercely, the world suddenly became clearer like it never was before...

//Why the hell would she want to see my smile before she died, anyway?//

//Ah...it must be because she loved me. Yes.// A long pause. //Hm...//

//Surrender to the power of reverse psychology. You love her, too, and it's too damned obvious to run away from.//

"I love you," I suddenly blurted out, unaware, then clasped a hand over my mouth in horror. 

CLAMPraven sighed, took the tessen out of my hand, and bashed me over the head with it. It hurt. "I know that, you baka!!" She laughed, a crystal clear sound. "And I'll take it as a yes for the smile."

I sighed in relief. "Thank the gods you understand."

Holding her there, it seemed as though the world melted away. Suzaku and Juri must've felt like this, when they kissed for the first time. 

It was nerve-wracking, because I'd never actually loved a girl in my life before. But in her arms, my heart relaxed, and for the first time in years, I felt no need to rush.

//Her hair's so soft...and her breath tickles...! When Suzaku gets his memories back, I have to ask him about this...did Juri feel the same way in his arms, or is this something only CLAMPraven could do to a person?//

//How did this happen? I'm too damn lucky for my own good...// 

As I compared Juri's relationship with ours in my head, a thought suddenly occurred to me.

"CLAMPraven...is this taboo?"

The Nyan-Nyan paused, contemplating this for a second. "Actually, no...I'm not a real Nyan-Nyan, remember? I'm human, just under Taiitsu-kun's - reversible, thank the gods - curse, that made me look like a Nyan-Nyan. That means it's a completely natural relationship. And technically, if you go by my world's time, I'd be about 16, just a tad bit younger than you, which is perfect! I'd gotten to the Universe of the four gods when I was about 12, and I'd been here for 4 years, in my time."

"But what about this world's time? Shit...if it had been four years - and our time is a hell of a lot faster than yours - you'd be - "

(WHACK!) "DOESN'T F*CKING MATTER!!! Taboo relationships like Juri's and Taikou's are what we're fighting for!!!"

"OW! DAMN IT, CLAMPRAVEN!!!"

-

~Aya~

A few minutes had passed before everyone finally assembled in the debris-covered room. Holding my sacred bow and arrow, in the center of the circle everyone made, I was all but ready to transport us to the other realm. All but ready...

"You're not coming with us?! Why the hell not?!" CLAMPraven stared in disbelief at Tamahome, Miaka, Priest Seiun, and Mitsukake, who had stepped out of the circle. All four of them looked severely grieved, and apologetic.

"They'd decided this in the small block of time before," I explained nervously. In truth, I had no idea how they would take the news, only that it wouldn't be a great reaction. "All of you are going for a reason. Tasuki and Chichiri, even without their former seishi powers, have an amount of magic in them that can be used to fight; same with Taikou and Enri, who had studied years of the Koudoutai defensive arts. CLAMPraven and Juri are our main focus here, so it's obvious that they must go. Byakko still has his knowledge of heaven, so he can look after the others if I am ever gone. Since Juri's relationship links around Suzaku, he must leave with us as well...I also have a feeling that one of the other Mikotos can help him regain his memory, or at least suggest some ways of doing it. And Irasa is still part Medusa; chances are, she can be of help in the battle ahead as well." 

"Are you suggesting that they're useless, then?" Taikou countered, furious. "Aya, they have to come with us! This is their duty...to fight for Suzaku!"

Before I had time to reply, Tamahome broke in.

"The fact of the matter is that we don't have any powers that might be useful in the battle, without our seishi powers," The seishi muttered, clenching his fists in silent anger. "Don't you think I'm pissed off at this as well?! But with the Mikoto, plus Irasa, Byakko, Taikou, and Enri, it's more than enough to make up for the lack." He shook his head, glancing at his lover protectively. "Besides, Miaka could get killed in this. I can't risk that! The Battle of Shin'ai doesn't actually require her, so she has no reason to go."

"Tama..." Tasuki growled, mortified. "The Miko...I understand. I want her to be in a safe position as much as you do. But what about you, Mitsukake?!? You're not staying behind just to take care of the cat, are you?!"

The healer, deeply ashamed, looked away. 

"There is only so much I can do. Now I am without powers, and I'd fail you regardless." His voice was hoarse. "And I'd rather stay here and stay alive than to be a drag to you before killing myself recklessly, and breaking the hearts of those who might remotely care about me." He cast a stray glance at a worried Juri, before turning his back on the group.

The oracle was devastated. "Mitsukake...don't say that!" she cried. "You're not useless, and we do care about you very much! Damn it...can't you see that?!"

But the healer had already walked away. 

Furious, Enri glared at Seiun. "And you? What's your excuse for this betrayal?"

The priest said nothing., only stood there, silently gazing at the floor. Clearing my throat, I glanced at the white haired monk questioningly, wondering whether I should speak for the old man.

"No," he shook his head in my direction, his violet eyes flashing dangerously. "Don't interfere. I want to hear this for myself. Better yet, Seiun-sama, I'd prefer a mind reading. It's far more accurate that way. Leaves nothing out."

My eyes narrowed in suspicion, as Seiun boldly raised his face to eye-level, and locked gazes with his apprentice. The old man's small beady pupils were as dark as coal, and unreadable, but by the glow of the transaction, and the energy flow clearly felt, there was a successful reading going on. 

_This is unnerving!_ I thought anxiously, as the last of the waves of information hit Enri. _Seiun didn't mention anything like this to me...he said it was a secret, but when it was a mind read, no one could catch the information but the receiving person. Not even Taikou could intercept it._

_It was too personal. Was this more important than I realized...?_

The energy had left Enri stunned, his eyes wide open in shock, jaw slack in disbelief. Parallel to him, Seiun scratched his head, and smiled sadly. The priest turned his head briefly, to catch a glance of the departing Mitsukake as he walked out the door.

"You know this has to be done. One must be dutiful and protect the innocent, hm." He murmured, his moustache rustling. "The young one still has a life, and he doesn't know how lucky he is. Hm! I'm already older than most men get in this day and age. The sacrifice is worth my time. And when the red-eyed beast comes - and it will come soon, Aya and I had already confirmed it - we'll all be ready for it, hm."

He turned to Taikou. "Take care of him for me, but don't ask him what I'm about to do, Taikou! You'll find out soon enough, hm."

Enri was silent, and deathly pale. "You...you mustn't..."

This had left all of us in a daze of confusion. 

My head spun with the possibilities. _What could Seiun have possibly told Enri? I can't read his mind right now, or he'd kill me! But...what could he have meant by 'the young one still has a life'? What young one was he talking about? Mitsukake, perhaps? He was staring at the seishi when he left. Was it a sign?_

Not accustomed to missing out on important business, I struggled to think.

_'The sacrifice is worth my time', he said. What sacrifice? And what does this have to do with the red-eyed beast?!_

Reaching inside his pocket, Seiun produced the infamous disciplinary weapon that his apprentices dreaded...the metal kendo stick. He tossed it at the white-haired monk, who caught it, snapping him out of his shock...and mine.

"Think of it as a gift," The priest winked. 

This aroused murmurs amongst the others. CLAMPraven and Juri, Tasuki and Chichiri, Irasa and Byakko...everyone was confused. Taikou stared at his lover for help, but Enri's thin lips were sealed. 

With one last worried glance at Seiun, then Miaka and Tamahome, who were equally sad, I turned away, and strung my arrow to the bow. Marked on the arrow point was a small Chinese kanji: 'tien'. Sky.

_I can't believe we're leaving the face of the earth with so many questions unanswered..._

Aiming the arrow to the ceiling, I chanted everyone's name, and shot it, envisioning heaven. 

"_Mahou Hoshi! ANGELIC TRANSPORT!!"_

Light streamed forth from the feathery tail of the arrow, and surrounded everyone. Squeals of surprise were the last thing I heard before the whiteness engulfed me. 

_Hopefully, we can get some more answers in my realm..._

-

~Seiki~

_/Something was traveling through the planes of existance...Aya and her newfound friends.../_

Brushing the bangs out of my eyes (a characteristic of both Chichiri's and my own), I ended the vision. "What a strange play...Suzano, Akira...what do you suppose would happen to them?

Sitting in my own vast, watery dimension, the Mikoto twins, resembling Amiboshi and Suboshi as eight-year-olds, both shook their head in unison.

"That's not -" Suzano started.

"- the question!" Akira finished.

"I suppose you are right," I smiled briefly at the twins' speech pattern. "That isn't the question, no da. The question is whether we will help them in their cause, or ally with Hitori and defeat them, which would be far easier, no da. If we aid them, that would make a huge difference...my strength alone would be enough to match Hitori's, na no da," I remarked with a content smile. Always the powerful one. "What is your opinion?"

Both twins assumed a comical thinking pose, scratching their chins, wrinkling their noses, and staring upwards. "Well..."

"If we help them, then we'd get an adventure, save Juri and Suzaku, possibly destroy Hitori, and start a revolution in heaven..." Suzano reasoned...

"...and if we don't help them, we stick with the majority, destroy Juri and Suzaku, save Hitori, and continue on being normal without risking our behinds!" Akira concluded. 

"Both sound good!" The twins beamed.

I rubbed my forehead in irritation. "Well, that's just _wonderful_, no da. You're both two-faced and too chipper for your own good na no da. Bonus points for driving me insane this late in the day."

Suzano and Akira grinned kittenishly. "Seiki ~ ! Grouch-sama!!"

Although they have separate bodies, the Chibi-Boshi-look-alikes were technically one Mikoto, the Futagaza no Mikoto. They spend most of their time buzzing around the other Mikotos' heads, plotting tricks, and generally irking everyone in sight. As there were two of the same Mikoto, this was extra easy. Since they spend most of their time near me, however, I'd earned from them the very gracious nickname of 'Grouch-sama'. Other nicknames would include 'Sleepy-sama', 'Procrastinating-sama', 'Daydreaming-sama', 'Weird-sama', and 'Generally Very Stupid-sama.'

A 'click' in my senses assured me that Aya was on the immortal plane. Picking up my robes and the trident leaning on the side of my bedpost, I plucked the Futagaza twins from off the ground with my spare hand. Small flashes of magic surrounded us; we were about to pay a visit to the Otomeza no Mikoto's realm.

_/As if babysitting the Futagaza twins isn't enough...but Aya was my friend, and he needed my help now more than ever. He himself is nowhere near the level of power Hitori possesses, even with all of his new friends; but with me on their side, it would do more than balance out the odds.../_

* * *

(Who is Seiki? Who is the Futagaza no Mikoto? What mysterious plot did Seiun tell Enri of? And why the hell is CLAMPraven putting more twists in the story this time?! Find out in the next chapter, damn it! And...)

(Meanwhile, the fangirls are panicking as the cute fluffy shoujo mascots flooded the hall!!!)

_Draconsis: They have us surrounded!! (swings her mallet at Pikachu) We can't fight this many at once!!! (narrows eyes at CLAMPraven, who was lazily leaning on the wall, bursting her own warts) Look at her! She doesn't even have to fight us; she just has to watch as we die by an overdose of kawaii-ness!!_

_Chibigreenwizardmon: (zaps Pigu and Mogu) Yeah, it's so hard to battle against cute furry mascots...(teary eyes) I'M SORRY!!! I'M REALLY SORRY!! (promptly squishes them)_

_Otaku Pitcher: (beats Sumomo to a pile of scrap metal with her thumping stick) Then let's get out of here!!! The staircase is still open to suggestion, you know!_

(Draconsis and Chibigreenwizardmon stare in disbelief.)

_Draconsis: Hey!! I thought you died in the last Author's Note!!_

_Otaku Pitcher: (thinks really hard) Fanfiction writers are immortal, invincible, and invulnerable. We'd already gone over that. And sometimes, we 'die' just for the heck of it. (racks her brain for CLAMPraven's rules) During the elapsed time between one author's note and another author's note, one can revitalize oneself to a perfect health, restore weapons, change wardrobes, eat at least 3 meals, and still have enough time to play a decent game of backgammon; this elapsed time can also be used to reassemble any loose limbs and restore any amount of lost blood, thereby making immortality, invincibility, and invulnerability easy to maintain. (pause) I think that's how it went..._

_ Chibigreenwizardmon: (eyes bulge out) Did you memorize CLAMPraven's whole tutorial on becoming more like her?!_

_Otaku Pitcher: (sweatdrops) Possibly...I might've been studying the wrong textbook when exam time rolled in...(narrows eyes) that would actually explain a lot..._

(Both Draconsis and Chibigreenwizardmon nervously edge a few feet away from Otaku Pitcher, who was lost in thought.)

_Otaku Pitcher:...So anyways, do we take the stairs or not?_

_Draconsis: You bet. (nodnod)_

_(fangirls): AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!! (run for the staircase away from CLAMPraven & the mascots)_

(...Well. That was...interesting. Ahem...we no own Chobits, Fancy Lala, or Pocket Monsters/Pokemon. (furrows eyebrows) This is really redundant; anyone here notice that?)

-CLAMPraven 


	37. To Believe in Times of Crisis' Alliance

**"Juri"**

**-from girl to oracle-**

**By CLAMPraven**

* * *

~ To Believe in Times of Crisis ~

Part 36 of the Legend of Juri - Alliance

* * *

(And now, for a few updates...NO! No adventures of CLAMPraven's fluffy anime mascots for this!!! They all get blown up sooner or later, but NOW IS NOT THE TIME!!!)

(First of all: lots of action in this chapter? Ne, Otaku Pitcher...the next NEXT chapter!!! Yeah, that's right! (sweatdrops) CLAMPraven hates planning; Suzaku recovering his memories, as she now has realized, has taken 1 more chapter than it should've to cure! And lots of other crap along with. So...on to the plans! And hope and pray that they aren't bogus!) 

(Every adventure can only last so long...Noir and I, along with a very disgruntled akuma CLAMPraven, have decided that the one of the white-chocolate akuma in particular, will end...by THE END OF THE NEXT CHAPTER!!!! By that Author's Note, or even earlier, **guaranteed **(beware; we do not guarantee things very often!), CLAMPraven will have finished being an akuma. And as this fic is drawing to a conclusion as well, she would have no time to get an immediate stash of chocolate and transform again. God, that must be the best news we've had in a couple of decades at least...)

(And on another note, CLAMPraven has officially decided how this fic will end. Juri and Suzaku's story will be completed around Part 40, or less. But since CLAMPraven's judgment is completely bogus, much like the weather forecasts, we shall have to see. (shrugs) On another note, the announcement also states that, **after the fic is completed, there shall be 5 specials, taking up 4-6 more parts, each its own segment, and mostly humorous (I hope!). **They'll be finished quicker than the others, I should think.)

(The first shall take place after the story ends, in which Juri takes everyone to her world...namely, giving everyone a tour of Toronto itself. ^_^ A twelve-year-old leading Konannese Seishi, monks, Medusa, CLAMPraven, Miko, Gods, and Mikotos?!? Insanity shall ensue. (nodnod))

(The second is a series of bloopers taken during the shooting of 'Juri'. Hope they're successful! I personally would like to see the whole kissing scene screwed up. ^_^ Oh, and the scene with the yanagi candle and the bunnies! (grins evilly) (thinks homicidal rabbits, a la Petshop of Horrors) Just think: all those morals waiting to be destroyed by appearances of Amelia from Slayers! Did I mention we don't own Slayers? Yes, and damn it all.)

(The third shall be a parody, in which the selected characters in Juri shall parody an anime/manga/movie/show/fanfic. For this one, some ideas from the reviewers would help a lot! If it was up to CLAMPraven, she'd have them act out Sailormoon, or even X/1999. (lightbulb goes off) Who knows? She could have the reviewers parodying the fic, for all she cares! (Thought: who'd be insane enough to parody as CLAMPraven?!))

(The fourth is a small 3-story segment; the first story takes place before the story arc, when Taikou first discovers Enri was a man. The second story also takes place before the story arc, when Hitori and Kano first fell in love. The last, taking place after the story arc, involves Taiitsu-kun and the others taking a little look at the future of Suzaku and Juri - married with children, with more chaos and daily havoc than the Osbournes. I think that's worth looking forward to, right?) 

(And lastly, the fifth, a sort of miscellaneous clump, consists of the honorable mentions, the whole cast's last words, the production crew's last words...basically, a credits page. BLAH.)

(**Know that the chapters in the future shall be slightly delayed, because CLAMPraven is working on some of these last segments ahead of time! Yes, ahead of time!! (sweatdrops) How very strange, but it is to be expected from the odd CLAMP fanatic. She believes that if she does this, she can post all five up automatically when the story is done, so that you don't have to wait for it. So IF the ending chapters are a little delayed, you know why. (nodnod) Yes, you do. I had to make sure by outlining this in bold. Couldn't take aaaaaany chances...)**

(So there you have it. With that in mind, make sure you hang around for all of those segments! Any changes to them will be explained in the author's notes later on. Now, continue on to the story!)

-CLAMPraven 

* * *

~Seiun~

And in that blazing light, they were gone...

It's been a few minutes since that light. Sitting alone in the shrine, I wondered what happened to them as I lit the incense of the Otomeza no Mikoto, wishing they were alright. 

Did they successfully get to Aya's world? If so, how would they fare against Hitori? 

Even underneath my moustache, I couldn't conceal my grin to the illusive shadows of the room. Yes, there was a grin there...

Enri didn't realize it yet, but that kendo stick was special...it had a major part of my spirit locked inside it, and with it, great power...using a spell I'd found earlier, I'd sealed a great portion of my own magic inside it. That would help them more than if I were to come with them. Instead of an old, tired man following them, the only thing he needed to take care of was the stick. 

Heh...what a twisted akugi this whole thing had turned out to be... 

Right before they left, when I'd made my decision about staying...I had realized something at that point. 

No one had really paid any attention to Juri's lantern before, so they never noticed it. But on the the glass panes protecting the candles, all four of them, there were inscribed the names of four seishi...Nuriko, Chiriko, Hotohori, and Mitsukake. Their symbols were all there. It was then that I realized that they were the ones to die.

With that, a lot of other things finally started to sink in my tough, ageing skull. Juri had been able to predict every single death all along...but she didn't want to interfere, for fear of creating more disasters in her changing the future. She was a strange little girl, far older than her age allowed her to be, but not impossibly smart. I'd figured that out, too. I knew what was going on, then and there; she knew Mitsukake was the next to go, but him being as miserable and impenetrable as he was, Juri was stumped for the first time in a long, long while.

But she was mistaken...Mitsukake didn't have to go at all...

Standing up, and whispering one last prayer to the smoking incense, I stepped out of the praying room, into the pouring rain. Chuckling one last time at the crazy weather of Konan, I approached my destiny, as everyone should...

Very, very close...

Walking in the direction of the healer's room, as if my heart was shrouded by flames of courage, I strode on, bravely expecting what I had stayed behind for.

The truth was that, in all the Koudoutai tankoubons I owned, not one had stated that the red-eyed demons had to kill _seishi_, and that only _seishi _had death candles. The only requirement was that it demanded someone who had great powers and a special potential, which, with the right training and weaponry, could have been anyone. Even I qualified. 

It gave me an idea.

Climbing the steps and opening the door to his room, I frowned at the sight.

Mitsukake was depressed, his eyes having lost their friendly glow, and stared expectantly at the creature that stood before him. Nearby, Tama-neko was frozen in shock, as the red-eyed tiger standing in the center of the room shot him a hostile glare. The gigantic cat, turning back to the seishi, growled softly, almost beckoning him. And he nodded, a sad smile engraved in his features.

So...this was the last red-eyed beast, I thought. It was truly a terrifying sight, but I refused to back down, staying at the doorway and watching intently.

A hand reached out... 

"Mitsukake, hm!! Trying to suicide?"

Frightened eyes met mine, and his lips quivered. 

"I'm sorry, Seiun-sama...but it is time for me to leave. I have no use here...no one needs me...you've seen the way I've constantly let everyone down..."

He shuddered. "I could've saved them, had I just tried...I...I let Nuriko die, and then Chiriko and Hotohori. And now that my powers are gone completely, I really have no reason to be a burden to everyone..."

My eyes shone no mercy for him.

"You are letting your friends down just like this, hm? I thought you were the one who said you'd rather stay alive and help them, instead of dying recklessly...? Hm. Perhaps that was just an excuse, then."

The healer said nothing.

"You constantly believe that you can never be healed, hm? You think that you are a burden? Well, would you like to bet on it?"

To the seishi's shock, I drew a coin from my pocket with a smile and a wink.

"Let's compile the facts here, hm, Mitsukake? You are one of the Suzaku Shichiseishi, with a task to fulfill in your life, your destiny to uphold, the protection of the Suzaku no Miko. Hm...but you are also very much human, a man who trips over his emotions constantly, not knowing what to do and how to satisfy everyone, and very much worried about your duties, hm! But you forget, Mitsukake, that we are all capable of making mistakes in life. Hm. You certainly can't please everyone, no matter how hard you try! At the same time, even despite these mistakes, we are all still allowed certain things in life...friendship, love, happiness...you should be more than happy to have all of these things, after what had happened to you. Still...what is the use of these things if you are too blind to see them, if you are to blind to see how precious you are to your comrades, hm?!?"

My grin automatically turned into a frown.

"You are a doctor, hm? Then you should know exactly how precious life is. Including your own, hm! Do not ever underestimate your own power, regardless of the flaws; you do not need your magical healing to be what you are great at! Hm. Your heart provides as much, and though you say it is broken, you should see it...it is actually very much trying to heal itself.

"With all the warmth surrounding you, the only one who is keeping you from healing yourself completely is not Hitori, nor Shoka, nor these red-eyed beasts! It's you, hm! It's your own blindness! Let go of all of your doubts, because everyone is only trying to help you, hm! Give it time, and you shall eventually reach the happiness you long for; you still have many chances in life, hm. To give them up right now would disappoint everyone, and that is the last thing you want."

Mitsukake's wide eyes were brimmed with tears. "I understand, but what is it that you're trying to - "

"Hm! Make you see that you still have time to live and love, obviously!" I sniffed disdainfully. "I don't even know why I do this if we don't reach an agreement, hm! You see, Mits, there is an alternative to dying in this case."

"There...there is? W-What is it?" The healer could hardly believe it. "Tell me!"

"No!" I barked sternly. "There is no telling it now. In fact, the only other person whom I've told this to is Enri...hence the mind reading before they left, remember, hm? The only answer I really need from you right now is that you will take the alternative, and you will live on, but not as you are doing right now, hm. Understand what I have said.

"Tell me you'd change, Mitsukake."

The tiger, who had turned around to look at me through its red eyes, darker than the darkest rose in midnight, had begun to lick its lips. Meanwhile, the healer stared at me thoughtfully, as if trying to find a lie in my words, but could not. 

A small hopeful smile broke out, as he wiped his tears away, restoring a small light to his eyes.

"I'll...I'll try. I'll try and forget..."

"That's right, hm! You will forget because the things you blame yourself with were never your fault in the first place!" I winked again, whispering a small '_Kogane Fukusei_', duplicating the gold coin in my hand into two.

"H-How did you do that?! Seiun...?" Mitsukake's fascination turned into a deadly fear as I stooped down, leaning in towards the red-eyed tiger's face. "...Seiun?!?"

"Well, now that that's done, hm...I think I'll double our bet," I stroked the tiger's soft head. "Two gold coins says that the tiger will prefer me over you for dinner, hm?" I jingled the coins in my hand.

The tears swelled in his shocked eyes, as he finally caught onto what the 'alternative' was. "No...no...Seiun...!!!"

"Consider your staying alive a gift from a poor old man, Mitsukake, hm," I sighed, as the tiger opened its jaws to the widest. "_My_ candle will go to Juri's lantern, not yours, but it will be just as potent. I can't give you much else, except for one last smile, a handful of hope, the realization that you're not worthless, and the strength to live on. This will be my last finale, the last thing I needed to do before my life ended; always remember that the reason that I'm dying for you is because I need you to remember this...for as long as you live, hm...!"

"Sei-Seiun..."

The tiger roared.

-

~Hitori~

"It would seem that Aya is approaching, with practically everyone in tow. I had trusted in his recklessness. Thankfully, Motoyuri Aya never disappoints."

A smirk. 

"I simply never expected that Seiki, the elegant Mikoto of mysticism and dreams, would support him. What an unexpected turn of events...! I'd always thought he wasn't that dim-witted. The Futagaza twins, Fushigiko Suzano and Akira, however...are just looking for a good time. They would eventually turn around...perhaps at the expense of their sole existence? If that proves necessary, of course...but in any case, Juri and Yohko...CLAMPraven still have the support of three Mikotos. They're all quite powerful, in their own right...lords of love, spirituality, and communication. What unique trump cards."

Feeling the presence of the 7 Mikotos around me, I sighed blissfully.

"Sad that I have the support of the rest of the Koudoutai..." 

A flash caught my eye in the darkness of Castle Satanica, and I turned to look.

"Hm?"

The light had dawned from the cage, as I noted with curiosity. Fluttering their wings, the butterfly-shaped souls of Suzaku, the ones who had died before, made way for a new companion, with wings that glittered innocently like no other. The new butterfly lingered at the bottom of the cage, sensing his own poor condition.

Raising an eyebrow, I shook my head in amusement, and reached one long nail inside the cage to poke the newest soul. I could tell it hurt him, because he immediately leaped into the air, startled and frightened.

"Hello, Seiun-chan. So nice of you to join us..."

-

~Jenny~

"Welcome to my realm," Aya announced proudly, as the last of the light faded away from everyone's vision. With a broad sweep of his arm, he gestured to the glittering rhinestone interiors of his castle. "May I welcome you, honored guests, to Castle Judith, my ultimate domain of beauty and the arts!"

We all gawked, astounded.

The whole place was a glittering paradise...paintings of royalty decked the halls, while 6 grand chandeliers hung from the ceiling, each made of carved silver, gold, and diamond. A high throne stood in the middle of the room, reflecting the light of the chandeliers; it was made of titanium, brass, amethyst, and jade, with the large capitals otomeza no mikoto engraved in its plaque of copper and ruby. White china roses, sparkling with embedded sapphire, rhinestone, and topaz, stood off to the side of the throne, beaming in all their glory. Real flower petals were scattered all across the precious tiles, pink and white of the sakura blossoms.

It took a while, but I finally managed to mouth the word: 'wow'.

But of course, it was three minutes later that anyone could actually say anything.

"It is at times like these..." I uttered, amazed at the beauty of it all, "...that I am glad Tamahome didn't come with us."

Tasuki nodded fervently beside me, touching the fragile china roses. "He'd probably auction off the whole f*cking dimension for his precious okane."

Instead of admiring the architecture, Irasa smiled in the direction of the hall. "There's wildlife outside this castle; I can sense rabbit flesh." She licked her lips. "They must grow really big around such a beautiful realm."

Tasuki and I stared at her.

The Medusa girl shrugged, smiled, and flashed a small kawaii victory sign, causing us both to sweatdrop. "I don't care for jewels, as long as I have dinner!"

Suzaku grinned at her. "Irasa's funny...but she doesn't always make much sense."

My sweatdrop got bigger. "If nonsense is your forte, Suzaku..." 

"But really, this is very beautiful work, Aya, no da," Chichiri marveled at the light of the chandeliers. "Who had done this, na no da?!"

Aya, blushed at all the attention his castle was getting. "Actually, it came with the dimension when I was born...I guess you could say that it was a free gift..."

"A FREE GIFT?!?" Taikou exploded, appalled at the Mikoto's words. "How could you say that?!?" His pink eyes sparkled with millions of little stars, as he hugged one of the jeweled columns, nuzzling it like a stuffed animal. "What exquisite architecture!! What incredible wealth!! What a brilliant color scheme!! Surely this must've taken centuries...no, millennia to design alone, and even longer to build! It must've taken the most talented of artisans, and the most delicate craftsmanship, working under even under the harshest weather conditions, to build!! Why, even the paintings alone would've been - mmmphff...Enri...stop elbowing my face into the column...Enri...!!!"

Enri, apparently, wasn't listening. Having shut his partner up, he now fingered the dented kendo stick that Seiun gave him, before we left. Lips slightly parted, the white-haired monk was mesmerized at the item, thoughts of his priest running through his head. His eyelashes were wet...I could tell.

As I watched him, I wondered what it was that he'd said, what it was that made Enri so gloomy even after having come to paradise.

I wonder...was it something awful?

It really does concern all of us, even though Seiun only wanted for his oldest, most loyal apprentice to know...

Perhaps if I ask him...?

But the thought only lasted a little bit, as incessant screams took my attention off of him.

The ex-tiger god, perched atop the jade chair, felt along the surface of the cool alloy and scratched his chin thoughtfully. He ignored Aya's incessant screaming down below for him to get out, amongst expletives. "These are delicate carvings...my guess would be that this was Nyan-Nyan architecture. They must've spent quite a while arranging this for you before actually carrying you here as a baby...OW!!"

"You tiger bastard!!!" The Otomeza no Mikoto screeched, whapping Byakko with his humongous bow. "GET OUT!!! I'M THE ONLY ONE ALLOWED TO SIT THERE, YOU KNOW!!!!"

As CLAMPraven glanced off to the strangely quiet and empty halls, something occurred to her.

"Say...Aya..." She murmured suspiciously, "Since you're so goddamned rich, it's really strange that you don't have any servants. What the hell's up with that, huh?!"

Finally managing to bash Byakko out of her seat and into a wall, Aya put away his weapons and sighed tiredly.

"It's one of the general rules of the Mikotos," he explained, "and it really irks everyone, but Mikotos are supposed to live in their domains solitarily, unless a great crisis concerning their being calls for their aid, or unless they are seeing another Mikoto, or a god. We aren't humans...we don't need food or water, and Taiitsu-kun's spirit preserves us in a youthful state as well as takes care of our castles. We won't die without company, and we usually do our own thing anyway." His brows furrowed as he struggled to remember. "Mikotos can communicate with humans, but they may not make any emotional bonds with them. This makes it dangerous for us to be around humans in general, because we are living things, and we do get attached if we stay around the same person for too long. But chastity is a must, since we serve Taiitsu-kun and no other."

"It's a real shame, since we aren't the guardian machines that the creator wants us to be..."

"Yep, you said it...huh?!" Aya's head whipped around. "WHA - ?!? SEIKI?!"

-

Every head in the room turned in the direction of the unfamiliar voice.

"S-Seiki...?" I whispered, astonished.

The small boy, about the same height and stature as Aya and Hitori, walked in the direction of the jade throne, giving a low bow of respect to the Otomeza no Mikoto. He was clad in a long, sea blue hooded robe, that covered his hair and reverberated smoothly, as if it were softer than silk, almost like shimmering water. Around his gloved wrists, ankles, and his slender neck were long sapphire and silver chains, dangling along with metallic bracelets and jewels; instead of giving him the look of a prisoner, however, the chains looked as though they were alive, wrapping around the figure of the boy. Aside from those, swirling ribbons also entangled his arms and legs, and trailed all around him, gracefully floating slightly above the floor. 

Surprisingly enough, all of these garlands and silks never got in his way. Rather, they floated about him, parting from where he needed to walk. Even more surprisingly...

Tasuki gawked. "Holy shit...is that a TAIL?!"

The long, blue fish tail curved out from underneath the boy's robes and curved slightly around the columns. A real appendage, its scales glittered like rainbows and its fins flew all across the room. 

"It's so beautiful..." Suzaku gasped in awe, his eyes lighting up like a child's.

Unknowingly, during this moment, he'd also grasped my hand. Up until that point, I had barely noticed that he was still there, at my side. Staring up at him, I wondered if his subconscious was working overtime...

Shaking his head, Taikou could only marvel at the spectacle in the middle of the room. "I can't believe I'm seeing this. Jippangu Seiki...the legendary Lord of the Pisces stars...the mysterious lord...Uoza no Mikoto! This is just as the tankoubons described him..."

In a swift motion, Aya floated off of his throne, and bowed equally deeply. 

"It's been certainly a long time," the Mikoto said, in a shakier voice than usual. "If I'm not mistaken, you are here to join our revolution, Seiki-sama."

Raising an eyebrow, I noted his strangely awkward act, and his unexpected use of honorifics. But comparing his simple yellow dress to this stranger's mind-boggling array of chains and ribbons, it suddenly occurred to me why...

He's powerful...much, much more powerful than Aya...

"Aya, cut it out with the honorifics, _please_, no da." The smooth yet slightly irritated tenor voice echoed off the walls, from underneath the shadows of Seiki's blue hood. "I'm superior to you, no da. So what? You know it. I know it. Even Juri's figured it out, na no da," He added, with a glance off in my direction. 

I was shocked.

Well, this about confirms it. He doesn't even have to look at you to read your mind, unlike Enri. How very...disturbing.

The others, however...were shocked for a very different reason...

"No...da...?!?" Chichiri's jaw dropped about two floors, at the Mikoto's use of his own favorite catchphrase. "You..."

Chuckling softly, two claw-like hands removed the cloak that prevented us from seeing his face...

...And everyone promptly face-vaulted in unison.

"FEMALE CHIBI-CHICHIRI!!!!" Tasuki shrieked in horror, trying vainly to hide behind CLAMPraven. "F*ck!!! How many of these things are there?!?"

"He even has the mask!!" Enri pointed in shock.

Irasa blinked. "I wonder if he can disappear into his robe, too...?"

Prying himself off the wall that Aya embedded him in, Byakko rubbed his sweatdropping forehead in agony. "It is said that no mortal had ever seen the mysterious visage of Uoza...up until now, with you all. Of course, if they did, they would probably be plagued with that face for the rest of their lives. And if I'm not mistaken, Chichiri already caught that plague..."

Kneeling down to face the child-like face, the blue-haired monk stared in shock.

Seiki was wearing a mask, like Chichiri used to (he'd lost it when he rushed to save us from Hitori, so at the moment, no mask...and all the better). Except that it wasn't quite like Chichiri's mask. It smiled, all right...with the same little upside-down U's for eyes, except that there were long marker-drawn eyelashes along with the eyes. There was also lipstick smeared over the smile. 

This made for a very scary rendition of the original.

"Come on...you know all of the Mikotos wear make-up, no da," Seiki chuckled at the horror on SD Chichiri's face, as he removed the mask...to reveal a younger face, with both eyes shimmering clearly, long eyelashes, gravity-defying bangs, and full lips that grinned to reveal pearly white teeth. "Don't be so shocked, na no da."

Truly unnatural, but as alluring as Aya looks...maybe even more, I thought, exchanging stunned glances with Suzaku. Now that I think of it, even Hitori was beautiful, in his own way. Which is why we always run for the hills screaming 'FEMALE CHIBIS!!!' every time we see them. I guess it's just something of the Mikotos...

They may be male, but they are still beautiful, regardless. The make-up brings out their own confidence in their beauty. It makes them look like fragile china dolls, even though they are so powerful.

So gorgeous...

"Now then," Seiki smiled, "shall we get down to business, no da?"

-

The Uoza no Mikoto sipped his tea (he held it with his tail, which had been the focus of our attention for the past twenty minutes), frowning thoughtfully. "I'd originally planned to recruit more Mikotos for our cause...but it would seem that all of them are quite resolute in obeying the rules, no da. Chances are, Hitori had gotten all of them. Frankly, I was expecting Kaniza or Ohitsujiza to join us, because they always seemed to have good intentions before; perhaps the Tenbinza's power was too threatening to them, na no da."

Aya sighed, patting him on the back. "It's not your fault, Seiki. Thank you for trying. I know we don't know each other very well, and no one can figure out your motives half of the time...it's certainly not like you to ask anyone for anything."

All of us sat around a round table in the dining room, with tea and biscuits, all of us thinking about the task at hand. Aya had been more than gracious with the food. 

_"Just because I don't eat," he told me, "doesn't mean I can't. I rather like it...except that it only goes in and out with no process in between. The problem? Along with eating, Mikotos don't actually need to go to the washroom, so having to go can be..." he winced, "...strange."_

_I raised an eyebrow. "Ne?"_

_A very large sweatdrop appeared on his forehead as he blushed. "No one actually taught us how to go..."_

Apparently, the all-powerful Otomeza no Mikoto also didn't know how to clean, cook, garden, or maintain the building. Everything in the castle, as we learned, was automatic; if something broke, it was instantly fixed by the magic spell that Taiitsu-kun sealed upon the realm when he was born. He said most Mikotos were like that, except for the ones who were most powerful, like Uoza was.

As such, Seiki brought the snacks.

Pouring the tea for both myself and Suzaku, to make sure that he doesn't burn himself, I thought about the Battle of Shin'ai ahead of us. At the same time, I wondered if I would ever find a cure for the ex-phoenix god's amnesia. 

It seemed as if our love had taken a different course. Instead of him guiding me, the way it started out, I was now taking care of him, almost like a mother. It was strange, but regardless of which type of relationship we had, it always seemed a smooth one, and one in which we both helped each other, and learned about one another. 

This was just one example...I never knew Suzaku liked tea before. 

"Thank you for being considerate, Aya," Seiki nodded. "You've always been kind. However, I didn't mean that I didn't get any back-up at all...I managed to get at least one other Mikoto to help us."

The whole table stared at Seiki. Aya spit out her mouthful of crackers. To my left, CLAMPraven nearly dropped her teacup. 

"F*ck!! You mean there's another Mikoto with you?!" The Nyan-Nyan exploded, clearly mortified. "AND YOU DIDN'T EVEN TELL US?! Holy shit...where is he, then?!"

As if on cue, a loud bang resounded off the wall in the adjacent corridor, followed by the echo of a laughing voice...or was it two voices? 

The Uoza no Mikoto looked about ready to die. "Let's just say that they were interested in the architecture."

Aya stood up, looking a little more than pissed off. "You _didn't._"

"I had to! They always followed me around anyway!!"

"You did NOT let them into MY castle. I'd been trying, for the last DECADE, to keep them out with my SECURITY SYSTEMS!!"

"Excuse me," Taikou piped from the other end of the table, "but what do you mean by _them_? I thought you only said one Mikoto!"

Clearing his throat, Byakko sipped his tea, and prepared to explain with his godly knowledge. "It's true that most Mikotos have only one body. Out of all of us twelve, we have crossdressers, hermaphrodites, shape-shifters, and a bunch of others. But only one of us has two separate forms, sharing one mind and one soul. They always take the form of twins, and although we don't know much about them, we do know that if you hurt one twin, the other will be hurt as well, in the same area.

"And because of that, we call them one Mikoto, even though they'll always be plural in our books. They're always trouble-makers, and are about as hard to figure out as Seiki here. It's unclear what they are thinking most of the time, except that they are usually thinking of some evil plot. They represent communication and union, just as Aya represents love, Seiki represents dreams, and Hitori represents justice/balance. Their names are Fushigiko Akira and Suzano, the twins and the Futagaza no Mikoto. The lords of the Gemini stars."

As all this was said very fast, Seiki took the responsibility of telling every word to Irasa mentally, seeing as she had a hard time keeping up with all of the information with just lip-reading. 

The ex-tiger god shook his head. "Personally, I think they can't be trusted for this one." He narrowed his eyes in thought. "But...if they can stay loyal to us, their smarts and speed would be a huge advantage."

"Not so huge as the one Hitori has!" Aya pointed out. "By now, he's gathered all of the other Mikotos into his scheme. Let's see...12 - 4...- 1...he has at least 7 other ones along with him. It would take a miracle to defeat him."

"And who says that we aren't - "

" - miracle workers?"

All eyes in the room widened to the sight of the twins in mid-air, dressed in identical clothing. Looking like eight-year-olds, as the other Mikotos did, they resembled Amiboshi and Suboshi in every likeness. To compliment their simple outfit, both wore communication devices, headsets, tinted visors, and chokers, along with long black trench coats that undulated like liquid mercury behind them. Black gloves and leather tights of the same material were marked with buckles and straps, as well as wires that flew in all directions. Strangely enough, they wore sandals along with all of this, with jutting metallic wings attached to the heel, that held them up.

And of course, the customary make-up...

"FEMALE CHIBI BOSHI TWINS!!!" TAsuki screamed, and would've dived under the table, had it not been for CLAMPraven's swift hand.

"Do you mind?!" She hissed, shutting him up.

"You're the Futagaza no Mikoto?" Irasa asked, stunned. 

Both nodded at the same time. 

The one on the left winked behind his visor. "We look like Amiboshi and Suboshi, but we're called Akira and Suzano. I won't bother telling you who's who, since you probably won't remember anyway. Only Grouch-sama here -" he gestured to a very embarrassed Seiki, "- can tell us apart.

"We speak with one voice, and we always finish off one another's quotes," said the other, with an identical voice. "We travel the lands, and see the sights with two pairs of eyes in different areas. It covers more ground, though we are one, and if something happens to one of us, it happens to the other.

"But that's not why we're here...

"We're here to bring some bad news...

"Very bad news, to the oracle Juri.

"It would seem that your quest is over."

My eyes widened with fear, as I realized what they were trying to say. "My quest...is over...?"

Cold fingers tightened upon my lantern, which I had held in my lap. Three candles, unlit, remained inside. Some I've used once...some I hadn't used at all. And now...

They must mean that the fourth one...was here. My quest for the candles is over.

Tears swelled in my eyes for Mitsukake. 

No...

"Mitsukake..." Burying my head with my arms, I cried over the table top, amidst murmurs of shock. My fist came down on the table...once...twice... "I'm sorry...I'm so sorry...!!"

I couldn't...I couldn't do it. I couldn't prevent it...why? Why am I so weak?!

"The fourth candle is here, Juri," One said, confirming my suspicions. "We were toying around in Aya's castle for a little while, but when we sensed it, we teleported to the palace to see what was the matter. But I think you will find that this is not what you expected...not at all. You see, Mitsukake didn't die."

"Huh...?" I murmured, raising my head, tears trickling down my cheek. "What do you mean...? He was the one on my lantern..." A sparkle of hope rose from the dark. "Unless he survived...?!"

He couldn't have...no one did before...!

In my blurred vision, I could see the other twin holding a candle in his hand. It wasn't green, Mitsukake's color, but a strange turquoise hue, like CLAMPraven's left eye, like the sky on a clear and sunny day. In its base was engraved a symbol, but even as I pulled out my lantern to check, I could tell that it wasn't 'rare cart', Mitsukake's symbol.

"That symbol..." I heard Tasuki murmur, "That's f*cking _aikyuu_!_ Charm_!"

The twin spoke. "The red-eyed beast, a tiger this time, traveled to Mitsukake's quarters. But somehow, Priest Seiun of the Koudoutai shrine -"

A chill cut through me, as the name was uttered. "Seiun..."

"...he had sensed this coming earlier. He'd planned it all along...to allow the red-eyed beast to kill him instead of the healer, because his candle was also valid for your purpose. Miaka and Tamahome have found out what had happened, and they all grieve for him; his soul is now with Hitori..."

Inside my head, I could only think of how stupid I was, not to have realized it sooner. Nearby, Suzaku put a hand on my shoulder in concern, but it did little to ease my pain.

That was what Seiun was telling Enri earlier. That he'd go and sacrifice himself for Mitsukake's sake.

I don't know...whether to laugh or cry...

Mitsukake's alive and well, but Seiun is gone...still, he'd want me to be happy for him, right...?

As I tried to hold in the tears, a bang of a chair on the other end of the table told me, clearly, that Enri had left. Another softer squeak of a chair and the calling of the white-haired monk's name only confirmed that it was him, and that Taikou had gone after him. 

* * *

(Now, back to the screaming fangirls!)

(Draconsis, Chibigreenwizardmon, and Otaku Pitcher raced for the stairs, screeching at the top of their lungs, but when they got there, they were stopped dead in their tracks...)

_(fangirls): AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA - uh oh._

(...for at the staircase, there were...)

_Draconsis: THE EXPLOSIVES?!?!?_

(Precisely!)

_Chibigreenwizardmon: (puts on thinking cap) They must have done this so as CLAMPraven doesn't follow them. However, they must've forgotten about us. This stuff is enough to kill us, isn't it?_

(And suddenly, it occurred to all of them at the same time.)

_(fangirls): But we can't die! CLAMPraven's laws!_

(Yes, well, at this point, they trusted CLAMPraven's laws of fanfiction writers about as much as they trusted their own mothers. Therefore, it was only customary to believe that, like CLAMPraven, they were quite insane, and wrote fanfiction. Which, quite easily, placed them in the category of immortality, invincibility, and invulnerability.)

_Otaku Pitcher: Then in that case, what are we waiting for?! If we blow up this batch of explosives, we not only reduce CLAMPraven to her previous form, but invulnerability means that we also don't get hurt at all!_

_ Draconsis: Actually, I think we do. _

_Otaku Pitcher: Huh?_

_Draconsis: (pulls out CLAMPraven's guidebook) It also says here in segment 28 that invulnerability in anime only means that your clothes don't rip when you get blasted by giant mecha or sliced up by swords. It only means that you look like you not hurt, when you could actually be hurt a lot, mentally, physically, or just underneath your human form. Rule 1456._

_(fangirls): ..............................._

_Draconsis: WHAT?!?_

(Well, if you've made up your minds already, then let the mindless explosions begin!! (hides behind a pile of leftover white chocolate wrappers))

-CLAMPraven 


	38. Episode of Power' Eglantine

**"Juri"**

**-from girl to oracle-**

**By CLAMPraven**

* * *

~ Episode of Power ~

Part 37 of the Legend of Juri - Eglantine

* * *

(Yes, eglantine...what a beautiful name! And no, we are not getting creative with the languages here. You'll find out what it means, if you don't already know, soon enough.)

(And on another note, Seiun is not an 'old coot'. And he is definitely not a 'grumpy old fart'. But...(sniffs disdainfully)...thank you for your concern. Meanwhile...)

_Draconsis: Look! (dramatic point) Here she comes!!_

(Down the stairs CLAMPraven marched, wood splintering underneath her feet. It would seem that not only does she have devil wings, red eyes, more warts than the hunchback of Notre Dame, and a serious need to see her dentist, but...she'd also managed to gain a few pounds. This the fangirls were willing to forgive, seeing as all of her warts have indeed popped, which meant NO MORE FLUFFY MASCOTS!!!)

(The akuma licks her lips, mumbling in a deep echoing grunt something along the lines of 'more chocolate'. The fangirls shudder, but hang on to their hopes and pride, as the bright, saccharine, and clichéd heroines of this strange situation.)

_Chibigreenwizardmon: (stares at the shakujou in her hand thoughtfully, then shakes her head) Sorry, Sakuyamon...your weapon won't be enough for this. (the shakujou immediately disappear; Wizardmon's staff appears in its place) In order to detonate all the explosives, I have to use the fanfiction authoress wrath of my ultimate item!! (grins) Girls?_

_Draconsis: (smiles wickedly as she pulls out her bazooka) Ready when you are!_

_Otaku Pitcher: (takes out her thumping stick, but is stopped by a thought) You know, CLAMPraven is supposed to be smarter than the normal cliché villains in anime. She had a plan on world domination, and now not only is she trying to catch us on a staircase by brute force, but she isn't using any of her own explosives or her quick thinking. What's the matter with her? Why's she waiting on us like she was just another mindless evil nobody?!_

_Draconsis: (confused look) Yeah, it is kind of strange..._

_Chibigreenwizardmon: (takes out thinking cap and CLAMPraven's guidebook, shaking her head) Well, what do you know? It looks like she's under the..."'Mindless Evil Nobody Syndrome', in which the villain is either so shocked, so caught up in their own near-success, so possessed by an alien force, or so stupid, that they actually wait on the cornered protagonist (s), in which said protagonist (s) can summon a victory out of a mixture of corny morals, high willpower, the supposed miracle of love, and good old reliable dumb luck." (blinks) How fascinating. I think I'll read it later. (puts away book and cap) BUT RIGHT NOW, WE HAVE A MONSTER TO BLOW!!_

_(fangirls): Right!!_

-CLAMPraven 

* * *

~Miaka~

The midnight hour was clouded over by thunder, once again. Bleak streaks of darkness spiraled violently, to meet at a zenith, in the pinnacle of the sky. Rain dripped onto the cheeks of damp roses, and slid off into murky oblivion.

As I walked through the garden, through the intense rain shimmering like falling pearls, I still couldn't help my tears from shimmering the same way.

"How could so many events happen in the same day...?!" I murmured to the endless sky. "Is this some sort of cosmic joke, that Seiryuu plays upon us all...? I thought our problems were all over then, when we defeated the Seiryuu Shichiseishi; perhaps it was such an easy victory, because the utmost suffering happens now..."

I felt sick, in my stomach and in my heart, to see everyone hurt so...

First we found out our destinies, both Juri's and CLAMPraven's in the morning, followed by Suzaku's amnesia after breakfast. Then after a nap and discussion of what love meant, Taikou and Enri fell in love, and another Mikoto appeared. Waiting a couple of hours more, we discovered that another red-eyed beast had bit Hotohori, and that Hitori was in the castle. 

Another hour passes, and Hotohori dies, leaving Konan without an emperor, and us with a bitter memory. Hitori also leaves us with promise of destruction. Then the new Mikoto sweeps the majority of our troops into the air, with barely a goodbye, or reassurances of their survival against one of the most powerful beings in this universe...we were exhausted, hurt and angry at one another for it.

But there is no remorse from the gods in heaven, for it was not ten minutes more that Seiun sacrificed himself for Mitsukake. It was more noble than we'd dared to do or even think, and now Mitsukake just wished to be alone.

It was like a day of eternity, never letting go. Even in the midnight which I stood.

We'd found Mitsukake grieving over the priest's body. There was a definite wind of change in his behavior; the healer seemed so grateful, he simply carried the body away.

Seeing the bloodied remains of the priest, and the tiger already escaped, I couldn't take it anymore. With tears in my eyes, I had tore into the washroom, and retched out everything that was left inside of me. When Tamahome came to my aid, I found that I could no longer look him in the eye.

And so it was like it was. Mitsukake had placed Ryuuza Seiun's body inside the praying room. When he closed his eyes to pray for the priest's well-being, clutching the golden coins that he had left behind, he said that he could've sworn he had felt heavenly entities there beside him...two of them. But when he opened his eyes, they were gone. So was Seiun.

He'd said that he couldn't find Seiun's death candle at the scene either. He claimed that perhaps...the two entities took them. To heaven, he'd said, cleansing all the remains, and delivering the candle to Juri, to take the place of his own.

Perhaps.

Now, as the rain poured down on me, I realized how weak we truly were. Staring up at the sky, with its distant lights, the water brushed away my tears, and I prayed. As hopeless as it seemed, standing out alone in the darkness, I held on to what little hope I had, and prayed that the gods would have mercy upon my beloved ones, the ones that I couldn't help in the worst situation they could possibly be in. 

I should've been sleeping right now...but that was not an option. Not while the heavens are brimming with chaos and the celestial force of the Tenbinza no Mikoto...a priestess without a god to serve was a blind one...but I had to try. 

As the girl that I was, I was lazy, and negligent, with more faults than fingers to count. I was undeserving of all the love my seishi gave me, all of the pride that Juri and CLAMPraven put in me. I could never be that good, because it isn't me, but I must hope. For as things stood now, with Nuriko, Chiriko, Hotohori, and Seiun dead, the next to go could very well have been anyone... 

I only wish that I...

"You shouldn't be trying so hard, doing what you cannot."

Tamahome stood next to me, one arm around my shoulder. Startled, I couldn't think of when he came, but for now, I was glad he was there, and that he was very much alive, his heart pounding and his breath even.

I drew closer to his warmth.

"No...I alone cannot do it. But the love from my heart can do anything, Tama-chan. I believe Juri's love can, too."

* * *

_Meanwhile, in heaven, similar thoughts occurred in the minds of others..._

* * *

~Taikou~

Enri had run away, out of pure rage of Seiun's death...

I'd followed his path, like a guardian angel, though I didn't feel anything like that. I'd run through golden and silver corridors, but he'd kept ahead of me, his tears spilling across the floor...

_Stop running...onegai..._

No one else followed us from the table that we left, not even Juri, and I was grateful for her consideration. We needed to be alone...

_Stop...crying..._

It was only when he ran out of room to flee, that he stopped. On the edge of a balcony he stood, leaning over the jade rail, crying.

I couldn't help but cry as well, as I approached him. I understood his passion about this, as would anyone who ever worked under Seiun. There were not enough rants in the world to describe how cheerful, kind, and sincere our Priest was, and how much he believed in our strengths even when no one else did.

As annoying as Seiun sometimes was, and as tough as his kendo stick felt on our heads, it was his ultimate sympathy and patience that won us over. He said a lot of things...half of them he didn't even mean...but he always managed to win us over with a gentle smile and a good laugh. It was his way of training...he was like a grandfather to us. 

The fact that he sacrificed himself for Mitsukake shocked me at first, and the fact that Enri had held it in was even more dubious. But in the end, it was the kind of thing that Seiun would do for someone...anyone, for that matter...and what Enri did was just what I would've done, in our utmost respect for his motives.

He was always sacrificing himself. For children and adults alike, and even more willingly so if it was for them to realize something that would benefit them for the rest of their lives. I was sure Mitsukake would remember this, as well.

To lose anyone in this war was terrifying. To lose Seiun...

...Was unforgivable.

Quietly, I approached his shivering form. "Enri..."

My white-haired lover was overlooking the fields of flowers surrounding Castle Judith, still shaking from the impact of the news, and said nothing to me. A tear ran down his cheek, and it broke my heart to see him so helpless.

_It hurts...more than death, to see your loved one grieving so._

_But it eases the pain, to understand him, doesn't it?_

Sighing, I wiped my own tears away, and smiled bravely towards the sky. "Ryuuza Seiun was a wonderful man...he raised us and helped us to become what we are today. Sure, he got angry at us lots, but he never once truly gave up on either of us. Likewise, we shouldn't give up on him. There's still the task at hand...defeating Hitori, and possibly destroying him. When it's all finished and done, we should be able to release his soul, once again. Once we do that, then there is no problem. 

"He'll always watch over us. He's that kind of nosy nitpicker, you know," I chuckled. "His presence would never be gone, neither from the world nor from our hearts. Besides..." I glanced at Enri, "...you certainly didn't expect him to stay with us forever did you? No...he wouldn't do that. But he did leave you the kendo stick, and as strange a keepsake as that is, I'm sure it was the easiest way he could've detached himself from us.

"He's a noble man, Enri...and noble men don't stay in one place for very long. They wouldn't do that to you...coop you in, have you see their way and no one else's, have you rely upon them...face it! That's not how Seiun wants us to grow up. He wants us to become our own people, and one day seek out what we deserve...whether it's with him or not! And I think - "

I abruptly cut off the rant as soon as I saw Enri's eyes on me. He looked weary, and he appeared to be considering this.

And for once, I stared him in the eye.

"You know it, and I know it. Now out with the truth. Do you honestly think you're scaring me with that?!"

To my surprise, he shook his head. And it wasn't one of those stiff jerks of the neck...it was a visible sway. Pushing his weight off the rail, he suddenly leaned into me, wrapping his arms around my form.

I flinched at the touch, but soon calmed down, as he kissed me sweetly on the neck, and held me tight, his fingers trailing a line down my spine. His hair smelled of roses, and I breathed it in graciously, comforted by him just being there. 

"You said that noble men don't stay in one place for very long, Taikou..." he whispered softly into my ear. "You are the only one I have now who truly cares about me. Are you...leaving me, too...?"

I laughed as I ran my fingers through his hair, reassuring him. "I don't think I'm quite - that - noble..."

For the longest time, we just stood there, frozen in time and space, holding one another, as if we were the lone inhabitants of the universe...

-

~Byakko~

"You know his death is not your fault..."

When Juri refused to lift her head from the table, I sighed, shifting in my chair awkwardly. 

I was never good at reassurances. And to top it off, you just can't get through to Juri with her guilt trips...it must be a law of the universe, or something. 

Everyone else was equally aggravated. It wasn't normal, to lose this many people in a matter of days. To have this much happen to us...seemed impossible, but that just wasn't the case. Everyone else was either lamenting, praying, or bashing walls in, and that was no lie. Even the Mikotos, who saw death every single day and never did so much as move a finger, had the courtesy to shed tears for us. 

CLAMPraven walked into the room, carrying a small box.

"Here...I got the matches that you wanted. They were in the storage, just as Aya said..." she mumbled quietly, putting the package on the table, next to Juri, and shot me a questioning look, as though angry at the fact that I couldn't do anything to comfort her. 

I shrugged uncomfortably, not daring to look her in the eye; growling in frustration, CLAMPraven snatched the death lantern from off the table, and lit the candles herself.

"You know, all this lamenting isn't doing shit," she commented off-handedly to the oracle, who had lifted her head slightly at the smell of smoke. "You know damn well that Seiun wouldn't like it. Makes me wonder what the hell your conscience is up to, driving you in circles like this." 

Rubbing her bloodshot eyes groggily, Juri shook her head, looking away. 

"Please...just leave me alone..."

"Perhaps it would be best to do as she says," Irasa approached us shyly. "She's had enough for one day." The Medusa girl looked her share of depression, as CLAMPraven glowered at her. "It's not that I don't want to help her, as well...just that any normal person would feel the same way. I'm surprised that you aren't all in her condition..."

"It's because we know the task at hand, no da," Chichiri tapped Irasa on the shoulder gently, catching her attention. "Ne...it would be wrong for all of us to lament, when we know that's the detour from success, no da. It's just that it's easier for some of us than for others..."

"That ain't true! Juri's a strong girl...hell, more than strong enough to recover from her f*cking trance; she's just not trying hard enough!" Blowing the smoke from his tessen, Tasuki walked over as well. "There ain't nothing she can't do...you know it and I know it, far too well. She just feels obliged to Seiun, since she thinks the red-eyed beast should've been her responsibility."

By now, a relatively large crowd had gathered around Juri. The girl refused to look at them, shadows of tears cascading from her eyes. "Just go away...please..."

I decided that I had to do something.

"Look here, all of you," I stood up, an arm blocking Juri's face from their view defensively. "While every one of you have good intentions, trying to figure out what's right for her, YOU'RE ALL GETTING TOO CLOSE!! Juri's lost more than all of us combined! She's the source of all the mayhem, the majority of the Koudoutai thinks she's some sort of a goddess of immorality and destruction, and she knows it! She's the unintentional assassin, and damn it all, she doesn't want to be nor deserve to be that kind of a person, but she is!! Alright?!"

CLAMPraven glared warningly at me. "How do we f*cking help her if we don't f*cking get close to her, genius?!"

"I DON'T KNOW!! It's just...look at her!" I sighed. "Anyone with common sense can figure out that the girl needs her space. She's lost her lover, she's lost her friends, she's in a foreign situation which no one her age should be going through, and none of us know what to do. As painful as it is, we have to watch over her, not try to force her into telling us how she feels...we're not exactly certified councilors, and we can't be her parents. But think about it. For all the days that we'd known Juri, what was the one way that she always managed to solve her problems?!"

The impact of this hit everyone.

"_Alone..._" Tasuki murmured. "F*ck...she was always solving her problems alone...wasn't she? The transition to our world and the language problem first, then the whole deal with Nuriko's death..."

"Plus the rescue mission to save me from the avalanche's remains, no da..." Chichiri's eyes widened, as the numerous times hit him in a flash. "And the triangle of love involving Chiriko, leading to his death..."

"Then the death of Chiriko-chan, the dog, Seiun's near-death..." Irasa whispered, as she recalled the events that she had seen. "And the revelation of her destiny, and afterwards Suzaku's amnesia..."

"And now Hotohori's death, Seiun's sacrifice for Mitsukake to live, and the pressure of the final battle," I concluded, glaring at them. "She's been through _that much. _And through it all, she was constantly _ alone._ But it wasn't as though she needed anyone...she was content being alone, solving her problems. It's just her nature!! She had to realize these things for herself, in order for them to mean something! The seishi needed one another, and even the gods and Mikotos did as well. Juri works in a different way, and just because her way is different doesn't mean that they weigh down on her, ne?"

I looked around for approval, and I found it in the way of stunned realization and guilt, in everyone's eyes. From behind me, Juri tugged on my sleeve; turning around, I saw her smiling weakly, and a small 'thanks' written on her lips. 

I smiled back. 

"What you say is true."

Aya now appeared, with Suzaku in tow. "Juri is like a white rose...an eglantine." From his hand, he produced a pure flower, a perfect stem of roses glistening in his light. "Forever snowy pale, and untouched by others...you would think that she was unhealthy, a rose of no distinct hue, but she outshines the others eventually, nurtured by the sun." He winked. "In this case, the sun is Suzaku, and the rose is Juri...and while all of you are like the soil she grows on, helping her from the ground so that she could continue living, you cannot bury her petals with your care, otherwise she would not blossom at all."

Suzaku turned to him, looking a bit puzzled. "I am...the sun?"

"The giver of life," Juri stood up from her seat, with a new, healthy glow in her eyes. "You are the giver of life to all...and I think you...both of you...have just made me realize something." 

She glanced at everyone standing near the table. "I'm grateful to you all. It's like Aya said...Suzaku is the sun, we are the flowers, and we live in the universal garden. Some blossom alone, others entwine together, and we all have our moment of shining glory, in that garden. Not one of us have the same petals as the other." She gazed thoughtfully at her lantern. "Some of us perish...but others shall grow in their place. And for these stray candles that I collect from the earth, there shall be new life, like the radiance of their flames...new powers bestowed upon this world."

Juri shifted her gaze slightly, so that she stared at the blue aikyuu candle alone. "And for these powers, I shall fight...for no one can control them. Not even Hitori."

She said the name, I noted, with bitter emphasis. She had bounced back from the blow, but she was definitely not peachy, either. 

"Damn. Well, what do you know..." CLAMPraven marveled, her eyes glistening with admiration, as the oracle closed the lid to the lantern, now more determined than ever. "Looks like she's made another miraculous recovery...and by herself, like you said."

"I guess worrying about her is really useless," Irasa put a hand to her heart in relief, "although I get the feeling that we will be doing it a lot." She giggled. "We're just a bunch of old fussy grandmothers, aren't we?"

All around the table, there were grateful murmurs and chuckles. Backing away from them slowly, I wasn't sure whether to be happy about having been right. I was just the sentimental tiger, pointing out some facts when I could see them. The storm wasn't over, and Juri wasn't a god...she still hasn't healed completely. No one could heal completely, given the amount of prep time we could afford, before our enemy struck...she's just swallowed some of her hurt, and hid some.

_She still needs time...we all still need more time..._

Trotting into the room, Seiki put on his hood to shield his wary face, with his weapon, the trident in hand. The twins, Suzano and Akira, swung from the chandeliers on the ceiling like young, energetic monkeys, laughing all the while.

"And it's good to know that Juri can recover as quickly as she does from any blow, no da..." The Uoza no Mikoto sounded grave, fingering his trident. "We'll need that kind of attitude, as Hitori is already on his way here..."

-

~Haru~

All seven of us sat inside Castle Satanica, waiting for Hitori to give us the word. We were in the guest room, and as typical of him, Hitori had no lights. 

We'd all heard about Juri. We'd all known the trouble she caused. That was why we were all here...to exterminate the problem.

It's not that we wanted to...the idea of killing someone, anyone, disgusted me. It was against my nature, as the Kaniza no Mikoto, the Lord of the Cancer stars. But Hitori's power threatened all of us, and we didn't dare help Juri, CLAMPraven, Aya, or the rest of them. 

"Just a bunch of bullshit, this whole mess..." Genki muttered, running his fingers through a mop of fiery red hair, and pulling on some of the threads of his elaborate outfit. "I still don't f*cking understand why the sadistic bastard couldn't finish his own job. After all, it IS his whole damn purpose, keeping the justice and shit..."

"Yeah, well, this time, it's Juri who we're talking about; don't forget that," Jiro reminded him, pointing to his own bald head. "She and the Sakura Griffin Yohko had been causing trouble for gods know how long, with that pointless rivalry!" He sighed. "They were such intractable brats, stirring up trouble for all of us...!'

Genki grunted. "Well, this so-called 'pointless rivalry' is taking too long, damn it! Where the hell is Hitori, anyways?! He's the conductor of this f*cking brigade!"

"Hello?! Both of you! Do you mind?!" Koga hissed from the corner, jingling the coins around his collar to get their attention. "I'm trying to catch a nap!" He glared. "Genki, you're the Ohitsujiza no Mikoto. Jiro, you're the Yagiza no Mikoto. You're supposed to be respectable. Now, you're both bored, I know, and you're both tired, I know. But damn it all if you can't act your age for ONE SECOND!!"

"Who f*cking died and made you king, money-grubber?" The Ohitsujiza no Mikoto wanted to know. 

"Act our age?! _Our age?!?_" The Yagiza no Mikoto's eyes widened in mock horror. "You didn't actually keep track of that, did you?!"

The blue-haired Mikoto scowled, turning his face away. "Very funny..."

Knit one, purl two...I went on with my knitting needles, thinking about what to do when the battle came. 

I had to find some excuse not to fight. I'd promised Hitori allegiance, but I didn't want to kill anyone for him, especially since they were children, and they didn't do much of anything wrong...

Dark brown tresses got in my vision, and I brushed them away, only to have them fall back into place again. 

I'd have to pretend to fight, and let everyone finish them off. I'll cover my eyes, then...if I do that, then I won't have to look at the blood when I'm done. But I would still feel so guilty...!

Shaking his head, Setsuna crossed over from the other side of the room, towards the boys. "Genki, Jiro, Koga...you really don't seem to realize that this is the Battle of Shin'ai we're dealing with here! And though the chances for Juri to win are slim, you can't predict her motives. From what she's demonstrated so far, I'd say she was a worthy opponent. So stop bickering and concentrate on the task at hand, as I..." he smiled smugly, "...am responsible enough to do, and will no doubt be on Hitori's good side for a while because of it..."

Raising an eyebrow, I took my mind off the battle for a second. Maybe it would calm me down if I were like the others, bickering instead. It sounded weird, but...it just might work...

"Showoff..." I heard Shishigo mutter from the other side of the room, followed by an immediate smack from the Mikoto genius sitting next to him.

"Shishigo-kun, you contemptuous imp!" Tenryuu hissed. "What did I tell you about being polite?"

It was at this point when I tore my eyes away from my knitting, and couldn't help but interject innocently. "Are you sure, Setsuna? Because, you know, there is that matter of the Playboy magazine you're hiding behind your back..."

Frozen on the spot, Setsuna turned bright red, while Genki collapsed to the floor in a fit of giggles.

"HOLY SHIT!!" The redhead cried. "How big of a pervert are you?!"

"You were reading THAT while we're waiting patiently for Hitori to come back?!"

"Well...um..."

"I told you, Tenryuu! He's just a regular chibi-Tokaki!!"

"You know, Haru..." Koga nudged me on the side. "No one could act look that innocent on the outside and be that evil on the inside." He grinned. "I like it."

Huh? "What do you mean, 'that evil on the inside?'" I asked, putting aside my knitting, oblivious to the fact that I was being evil at all, but decided to take it as a compliment anyway. "Ne...Koga, just because you look a lot like Tamahome and I look like Miaka doesn't mean that you flirting with me is allowed...or have you forgotten that I was a man? All the Mikotos are men; you know that! Plus, it's the Tenbinza no Mikoto's law," I added, trying to be helpful, even though he had been a Mikoto for a few thousand years now, and had read over every single manual five times.

"Nah...I didn't forget...it's just..."

"Cut it out!" Jiro snapped, before Koga could finish his sentence. "Don't you dare start a relationship between you two! Hitori would kill you if that ever happened, and you know perfectly well!"

"True," Tenryuu nodded, his pink ponytail bobbing up and down as he did so. "Besides, since we're going to be fighting against Juri and CLAMPraven, it's only natural to assume that such a circumstance is what we want to avoid."

I frowned. "Makes me wonder why Hitori is so mean. He wants to kill Juri and CLAMPraven. How sad. Why is he like that?"

At this, Shishigo nearly fell over. "HARU!!! How can you even ask a question like that?! That's like asking why Seiki is delusional, and why the twins are annoying!!" He crossed his arms. "You're impossible! You know, there isn't a worse time to ask such questions. How naive can a person be?!" But, being the spotlight hog that he was, the Shishiza no Mikoto calmed down visibly, trying to act smart. "Of course, it's not like I don't know. I would explain it to you, but you wouldn't understand. It's just the way it is, okay?"

And of course, knowing full well that bragging Shishigo had no clue what the answer was either, I decided to go back to my knitting.

That just happened to be the time when Hitori entered the room.

With a suspicious glance at every single one of us, trying to guess what our conversation was about, and mainly whether it was about him, he finally stopped, glaring wearily at Shishigo. "What a nice time to insult me," he snarled sarcastically, "just when there is a worldly crisis at hand. How very tactful of you." 

There was a momentary silence, then, seeing as the Shishiza no Mikoto was too shocked to apologize, he gestured to the door with a wave of one of his wings. "Come on...I've had enough of babysitting you all. We're going. Drop the knitting, Haru. Don't look at me like that with your third eye, Jiro. And Setsuna, have the courtesy to burn that Playboy magazine, won't you please?..."

* * *

_At Castle Judith, Juri and CLAMPraven selected everyone to be out on watch, for any danger that might appear..._

* * *

~CLAMPraven~

"Everyone! LOOK!!"

The sudden shout pierced the air, from Suzaku's throat. While we had been busy designating jobs and appointing sentries with our team of warriors, only the quiet ex-phoenix god saw the phenomenon taking place.

"What the...?!" I muttered, stunned, as the light from the candles united as one, when Juri picked up the lantern's handle. "What the hell is going on?!"

The yanagi, sei, cho, and aikyuu candles burned brightly as one, so vibrantly that Juri nearly dropped the lantern from shock. Shades of burning violet, undulating blush, fierce gold and glistening turquoise fused together, from the flames of the many candles, into one sole light, the power of the sun and the beauty of the moon...

The lantern looked as though on fire. We gasped.

Juri raised the lantern to eye-level with a shaky hand, staring at the light that was sacred beyond words. "Beautiful..."

"The hell...?!" Tasuki stumbled over, followed by Aya. "Was this supposed to happen?!"

That one light had become the attention of the whole room. With gasps of surprise, the five people left in the room were mesmerized by it. In the prism of the glass panes, it danced and swirled rhythmically, as its glow reached even the outskirts of the room, even the smallest corners and crevices in the walls...

The Otomeza no Mikoto gazed upon the spectacle in awe. "This is it, Juri. This is your gift...!"

"My...?" Juri stared up at Aya, with a questioning look in her red eyes. Then she understood.

"All four candles are gathered...!!!" She uttered with disbelief. "I'd nearly forgotten about that!! All four of them are here!!!"

"That means that your mission is over!! It's f*cking over!!" I gasped. "Goddamn it, you've done it, Juri!! You've done it!!!"

"Yes!" She laughed triumphantly, a laugh that was crystal clear. 

So..._this _is it... I thought happily, willing myself not to cry. This is what three of our seishi and one of our best friends died for. This is what we'd struggled, through hell and high waters, to get.

_This..._is our gift...!!

"Holy shit..." Tasuki could hardly believe it.

Suzaku was grateful. "This means that no one else has to die...right?"

"Not for me, and not for the red-eyed beasts!" Juri declared with a smile. "Having all four candles means that I've collected all the treasures of the original Oracle Juri, and that I can finally become - "

Her words were cut off by the flash of light the candles emitted, as the exploded from the lantern, illuminating Juri's body. We all stared, astounded, as the warm glow engulfed her in its swirling masses of power, forces of the souls who have died, as violet, pink, gold, and turquoise combined to form a radiant platinum...

Juri yelped in shock, but her voice could hardly be heard over the fierce gathering of elements, into her single fragile body. We held our breath, afraid of what might emerge from that cocoon of romantic fire... A silvery light erupted from her wrist, one that we recognized to be the amulet that Suzaku had given her, and it fused with an anonymous shape in the sparkling vision, one that we assumed was the lantern...

Wind swept around the room, strong enough to carry us away into the blue, but our feet stayed on the ground, as that wind formed a hurricane of passions around Juri, of all the virtues that she represented: ever-present love, the gift of life, glorious freedom, the willpower of thousands inside that one precious hearts, a lone star in the world, and yet a universe of its own...

The shell of radiance shattered into a million pieces...

I gaped at the sight that beheld all of us. "Oh my Lord...Juri...!!!"

"She's...bigger..." Suzaku murmured in disbelief. 

Tasuki's jaw dropped. "_That_...goddamn it if I'd ever seen anything like it in my whole f*cking life before..."

Our little Juri, our beloved, talented, cunning, wise little Juri...had become a woman.

A slim physique was masked by a long, trailing oriental kimono, with generous branches of sakura blossoms imprinted on the silky fabric. Around bony feet were wooden sandals, while on her wrists hung long, extending red ribbons, redder than the scarlet eyes of Suzaku, darker than the bloodied rose in midnight. 

In one hand was the lantern of death, now with diamonds embedded into the surface, and shining with the elegance of the powers contained within. It was no longer made out of steel, but out of gold and jewels, the same alloy that once made the amulet; when they fused in the transformation, this was the result. The kanji 'gold' was engraved upon the lid.

Glossy raven hair was now knee-length, soft as water, in which a perfect rose was pinned on the top of the head; the snowy pale face was longer, with a gracefully-carved nose and full rosy lips. Dark bangs parted to reveal shocking blood eyes, completing the vision of the deathly beauty, as gorgeous as she was elegant, as deceptive as she was terrifying. 

But to hell with all of that. Juri was OLDER!!! 

"I can't...I don't believe..." The oracle stared down at her garbs and long legs with a baffled admiration. "This...is me?! But...it can't be!! How could I grow older that quickly?! And even if I do grow older, how could I have grown any TALLER?!"

"Perhaps this was how you looked, at heart," Irasa suggested, "and the power of the full set of candles reflected it. Or maybe it was how the first Juri looked, and it was appropriate..."

Approaching the gleaming figure, Aya bowed down slightly. "All of you, down on your knees. We must welcome the arrival of the royal oracle Juri, our leader in the war against Akiyama Hitori and his minions." 

Juri's eyes bulged out in shock as the Otomeza no Mikoto crouched. "No!! No no no no no!!!" Her face red from embarrassment, she stared helplessly as one of the most honorable figures in the heavens bowed down for her. "Come on, Aya! I'm not some sort of dignitary!! It's me, Juri! It's still me - "

"Well, if that's the case, " Tasuki rubbed his hands together, with a wink in my direction, "you heard what the man said. Why the hell not!" He got down on the ground as well, followed by Irasa, and then Suzaku. 

Now Juri was covering her face. "Aw...you guys...!!! Stop doing that!!" 

The sight of this made me giggle, and I covered my mouth with a sleeve to keep everyone from hearing. 

Finally, Juri had regained her rightful destiny. Just in time to be harassed by all of her adoring fans. How - 

My thoughts stopped.

An immediate surge of power erupted in my heart, stinging me. Hissing in pain, I whipped my head around, to see the oracle's blood red eyes. 

Those eyes...they're doing something to me. I'm not sure what...

I clutched the fabric of my shirt, on my chest, where the force had caused me to wince.

This surge is coming from her...!!

What the hell?!?

-

~Jenny~

The triumph I felt in my heart was overwhelming. All that I'd ever worked for came down to this...

My adult body scared even myself. And while the garbs were beautiful, the fact that four people older than I was by years (?) were kowtowing in front of me like I was the emperor of Konan and they were Hotohori's over-obsessive harem. 

But looking down at my long hands with baffled amazement, I wondered if I was even more dignified than the emperor now...

"Oh, hell. Um...not to ruin the Juri-worshipping session, you guys, but..."

The voice snapped me out of my thoughts. Caught off guard, I raised my head...

...And gasped.

CLAMPraven stood in place, frozen, as a pink light enveloped her body as well, as strong as the one that enveloped mine. As the brilliant sheen covered her skin, branches and twigs started to entwine around her body...

"What's going on now?!" Irasa cried, as this new crisis became the focus of everyone's attention.

Aya was calm and prepared, with a small, content grin, as everyone else panicked. "Don't worry, any of you. Things are going just as they should be. CLAMPraven saw the face of the one that she had killed in previous lives, and it sparked a hidden power within her soul. She will now be able to transform into that which she should be."

As the Mikoto spoke, the small Nyan-Nyan's body was completely bound in sakura branches, snaking across her face and chest. Holding my breath, I was frightened that she would suffocate under this, but rather, the branches melded with her body, until they had sunk into her skin altogether. 

Suddenly, and without warning, her shoulder blades jutted out of her back; screaming, we all backed away as they enlarged and folded, branches growing from them as well as pink feathers, as soft as the cherry blossoms that grew in the warmth of spring. Her face contorted and stretched, into a foreign shape, as a beak appeared, then two soft horns, like the horned owl's. Her clothes melted away, as feathers rapidly sprouted, flowing from her hands and her legs. Claws emerged from her fingers, as her limbs shrunk down, and as a lion's tail grew out. Her hands had become paws. 

It was incredible to behold, and even more incredible to know that this was our CLAMPraven, who had disappeared into clouds of pink, and emerged into a new form, the form that we had all been waiting for. 

The Sakura Griffin Yohko stood before us, in all of her majesty and splendor. With enormous cerulean and turquoise eyes, she scanned around the room, at us, sniffing the air through her new nostrils, her senses indulging in Castle Judith's atmosphere. Her gaze stopped at me, and her head tilted, as though sensing something familiar.

I crossed my fingers, and closed my eyes, hoping desperately that she would not turn against me.

The Sakura Griffin is destined to kill me, but CLAMPraven is my friend...!!

The huge beast approached, looking at me curiously.

She was the one who got me Nuriko's candle, the one who helped me through times good and bad, stood by me when I felt as though I had no more hope, always tried her best to get me back on my feet when I'd failed the first time...

You simply can't turn into another person now...you're not fighting for Hitori, you promised...

"You promised you'd help me and Suzaku..." I whispered, then opened my own eyes in shock, realizing that I'd said it out loud.

Around us, our friends waited with bated breath, wondering what CLAMPraven would say. Would she attack? Would she remember? Would she run away?

CLAMPraven winked at me through her huge eyes. "DAMN RIGHT!!"

Everyone face-vaulted. "**CLAMPRAVEN!!!!!**"

Suzaku picked himself from off the floor, sweatdropping. "Well, at least that's over..."

Smirking, CLAMPraven fanned open her gigantic wings, revealing branches of sakura petals, their aroma wavering throughout the room, and swung her hips in a victory dance. "THAT'S RIGHT!! Fooled all of you! Check it out...damn, I look even cooler than Juri!!" She gazed smugly at her own wings. "Aren't I just the prettiest thing you've every seen, Tasuki?"

The bandit laughed so hard in his relief, he could barely get off the ground. "I could kill you ~ !! You bitch!!! You goddamn cursing, lying, f*cking gorgeous bitch!!!" He ran forward to wrap the huge griffin in a bear hug, grinning in pride. "Shit...did I mention that you smelled nice, too?"

She enveloped the redhead in a single wing. "There isn't a f*cking minute when you don't hate me, even when you love me, isn't that right?"

I smiled. The whole room was radiating because of those two...so much so that we'd forgotten about Hitori altogether!

"Aya!" I cried, remembering the task at hand. "Now that we're ready, where's Hitori and his minions?"

The Mikoto froze.

"Oh, no!!!!" He cried in shock. "I didn't even keep my senses alert!" Aya paled. "Just like last time with...Hotohori..."

* * *

(DANG!! Longest chapter in the book, I think. the text of the story itself is about 24 pages! Now to the AN...)

(All three of the girls closed their eyes, and put their weapons together. Together, the Super Bazooka XIIV, the almighty thumping stick, and Wizardmon's magical staff produced a heavenly glow, penetrating the deepest darkness with their wrath. Illuminated in the glow of these items, the girls actually looked quite pretty.)

**(And to add to that, Narrator...they kind of look like Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto with their three weapons, don't you think? (huge wink))**

((brows crease and scrunch up) Aw, shut up!!! (pathetically throws the white chocolate wrappers at her; of course, they don't get much further than the customary four inches) YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I HATE DOING THE DISCLAIMERS!!!)

**((Blows raspberry))**

(Okay!!! Fine!!! FINE!!! Goddamn it if I don't get a better co-host...(mumbles curses while trying very hard to regain composure) WEDON'TOWNSAILORMOONORANYOFITSRELATEDFRANCHISENAOKOTAKEUCHIANDCO.DOESALRIGHT?!? Alright! (clears throat) Continuing on...)

(So like I was saying, the energy from the three magical weapons turned into the Holy Grail - I mean, a lighter!! A LIGHTER!! (whacks head) Damn Noir for putting Sailormoon ideas in my head...ahem, yes, it turned into a lighter, for the explosives. It lights the bombs. And of course, a bomb's gotta do what a bomb's gotta do! (slaps a hand over mouth) Holy shit...tell me that didn't sound as kinky as I think it did.)

_(fangirls): It did. (nodnod)_

**(Ignore him. (whaps the narrator) SO THE BOMB EXPLODES!!!! And the fangirls say...)**

_(fangirls): (deep breaths) AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!_

**(And Suzaku & Co. says...)**

_(Suzaku & Co): (deep breaths) AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!! (jump out the nearest window)_

**(And CLAMPraven says...)**

**NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO....(changes back into her human form)**

**(And the fluffy mascots say...)**

_(fluffy mascots): (picks themselves off the floor) WE QUIT!! (storms back into their trailers)_

**(And CLAMPraven's mansion says...)**

(CCCCCCCCCCCRRRRRRRUUUUUUUUUUUUNNNNNNNCCCCCCCHHHH...) (flattens)

**(And the narrator says...)**

(I'M NOT GAY!!! (hides under white chocolate wrappers))

**(And all I can say is...sayonara, and let the mayhem END!!!)**

-CLAMPraven 


	39. Episode of Power' Commencement

**"Juri"**

**-from girl to oracle-**

**By CLAMPraven**

* * *

~ Episode of Power ~

Part 38 of the Legend of Juri - Commencement

* * *

(No first author's note! (gets pelted by vegetables and turds all over again) AAAAAAAGH!!! Can you at least LISTEN to CLAMPraven's excuse first?!?)

(Our little CLAMPy-chan had MOVED!! Sorry there was no warning about this one, but she has now moved from an apartment in Toronto to a house...in Toronto! (sweatdrops) It's a little over a half hour drive...)

(This signifies a lot of packing and unpacking, of course. Since she's not much for manual labor, our little akuma has gotten squished by multiple boxes, at least 2 pieces of furniture, and her own heavy deadlines for this fic. With this weight on her shoulders, she enters a new life in a new house, which has a BASEMENT as big as the apartment as she used to have, with not ladybug or a cockroach in sight; and lo and behold...our little CLAMP fanatic feels poorer than Oliver Twist-kun (think about it) and smaller than Stuart Little-chan, thinking that she's finally stepped into the threshold of heaven. (huge sweatdrop) Sugoi...)

(In the end, we think that the full impact of this still hasn't sunk in. In other words, she still believes that she would wake up in the next 24 hours in her old apartment on Godstone Rd, minna. This just shows that CLAMPraven isn't ready for the big life yet...)

(That should do it! And now, for a quick answer to some of your reviews! (insert elevator music; most appropriate, ne?))

(Draconsis-chan, an eglantine, also known as a sweetbrier, is a species of very fragrant rose that comes in a variety of colors, pink and red in particular. However, having gotten inspiration from the story of 'Deathscent', a story CLAMPraven absolutely loved and of course, DOES NOT OWN (people...), she decided to use the white eglantine as the basis of a comparison between said eglantine and Juri's persona, in the description provided by Aya from the last chapter. Easy to miss, but easy to understand also. Oh, yes, and the other question...after plans of writing the 41 parts of the Legend of Juri (and yes, it's official now), and the 5 parts of the Legend of Juri Special (she's started on the Toronto one by now, though she's having a little trouble...), plus a little Rayearth fic that she had in mind since the previous month, CLAMPraven is well over-worked. Like she said in her (new, improved, hella long) bio, multitasking is EVIL...and therefore, no plans of a sequel as of yet. Though she could always do something with Juri and Suzaku's children...you just never know. (smiles) Okey dokey?)

(Ah, yes, and the others...no no no, Sanomi, calm yourself! (sweatdrops) Not the end of the world...CLAMPraven shall update now! (shakes head) Personally, I think it's like feeding a bunch of babies, but she loves the attention. Otaku Pitcher...as long as you're still on the face of this planet, or any other planet, with internet access, CLAMPraven is probably grateful. But I have to tell you, she loves Hitori more than Seiki, and I love the twins! No, scratch that...I'm not _that _queer. Chibigreenwizardmon...the last author's note was truly very strange, ne? (I'm not gay!! I'm not!! I'm noooooooooooooooo - ) And as for reviewing your fic, it was really not a problem for Raven-chan, but isn't it strange how much a person can respect one crazy little Nyan-Nyan? (wonders) hm...well! And Eunice, Eunice Eunice Eunice...so YOU were the little bugger that left the review that froze CLAMPraven for a week!! (sweatdrops) But really, it was very nice of you to come back and give us a second chance. Ne...this can't possibly be the most overwhelming story you've ever read in your life!! Arigatou gozaimasu...you're really too much...(blushes) but just between you and me, the cast is very worried; with all these expectations of a perfect ending, we're getting knots in our underwear. (oy...) So please don't hate us forever if we don't to it right!!!)

(And now, TO THE FIC-MOBILE!!! (dramatic pose))

-CLAMPraven 

* * *

~Genbu~

"So, the battle had finally begun...!!" I murmured, in the sanctity of my territory. "This is the final step, between mortal and immortal, between what is righteous and what is blind, what is true and what is not...!!"

"But there is no true evil, is there?"

"Taiitsu-kun...!" I gasped, turning around. 

The old woman stood in my chamber, a solemn expression on her face. There was no telling how she got there, when she got there, how long she had come. 

"What the hell?!" Seiryuu bounded through the door in shock. "Taiitsu-kun's here?!"

"There is no true evil," the woman repeated, sighing. "It is too bad...they cannot realize what they cannot see, and that is that there is no evil and there is no right from wrong...just what they believe in, which blinds them."

She turned away.

"The problem is that it's not as simple as just killing Hitori...someone still loves him, and won't let him go..."

-

~Kano~

Underneath Mt. Black, a soul is crying, a soul is yearning for what he is denied, by the heavens, by the stars, by cruel fate that weaves the universe...

That soul was mine, that fate was mine, that which yearns for the happiness that the heavens denied me...

"HITORI!!!"

My hands pounded against the invincible barrier in which I was kept, until they were scraped raw with blood and sore flesh, until my skin was torn and slashed, until I could no longer move...

"Hitori...Hitori!!!!"

My voice was hoarse...I could no longer scream...

Ever since that day, when he'd banished me from the heavens, to the horrors of this prison underneath Mt. Black, I had been denied all that I love...

I can feel Juri's strength, Yohko's strength...the power of the griffin and the oracle have infiltrated my senses...they were the powers that I had helped achieve, the power that I used all of my strength to release. These children felt as though familiar, as though mine, for I was the one who helped them be reborn all these times. I was the cause of the Battles of Shin'ai...I was the one who helped them in their revolution, by releasing them. 

And thus, I paid the price...

These children were strong, much stronger than I'd ever planned for them to be. Their belief and will had taken them beyond the human capability. They were like young gods, stronger than the one who had set their souls free when they'd died the first time, all those years ago...stronger than myself. And they sought revenge with the fury of passionate fire. 

Regardless of what Hitori might've thought, he was in danger...!!

"Hi...Hitori...why won't you regret...what you've done...?!"

It was not only the children's power that I believed in. I believed that Hitori would lose regardless of how strong the children were. For in his heart, he does not truly believe in the role that he fights for. He believes in love, deep down inside, though the world knows not...

But it was too late. The battle had already commenced. And I am condemned to watch my beloved drown in his own guilt, condemned to watch him admit his mistake with his last breath. It would happen...the children would also make sure of it. 

For I knew he loved me. And I knew that alone would kill him.

But I can't let him leave me...not like this...!!

* * *

_Kano, even as a youma, had certain unnatural powers. He knew that Juri and CLAMPraven...Jenny and Yohko...had broken through the barriers of destiny, had outdone themselves. He was the one who cast the spell on them, in order to release them from the clutches of Taiitsu-kun and Hitori after they died, to ensure that they would be reborn. He was their first ally...but even he regrets seeing this battle being played out._

_There were truly no limits to what these children were capable of. This last Battle of Shin'ai is the key to proving such. Would they defeat Hitori?_

_In the domain, they await the terror of assault; inside Castle Judith..._

* * *

~Byakko~

"THEY'RE HERE!!"

"THEY'RE - ?!"

The wind howled around Castle Judith, twisting and groaning in our faces, as shadowy forms made themselves clear through the blinding turbulence of the gale.

I climbed to the balcony, to see Seiki stading atop the ledge, with Akira and Suzano nowhere in sight. 

"WHAT'S GOING ON?!" I screamed. "Where are the twins?!?"

"They went down to Konan, to get weapons for you and Suzaku, because Aya doesn't keep any weapons in Castle Judith, no da," Seiki's voice was an eerie calm, even in the fierce wind that swept the clouds up into oblivion. "Go back inside the castle, Byakko, and warn the others, no da; they're here, all seven of them, and Aya had only just realized it, from the immense shock I sense. He hadn't been keeping his guard up...that ignorant boy, na no da!!"

The wind suddenly cut into a frozen calm, as the shapes drew themselves out of the shadows, approaching the balcony. The silence was deafening to my ears, as I called out to Seiki once again, who drew himself to a valorous stand.

"What about you?! How - "

"Go!! Just go!! They'll kill you!!" Seiki's voice rose in volume, now warningly. His 'no da's' disappeared. "LEAVE ME!!"

I stared as the dust departed. The seven familiar shadows of the Mikotos greeted me, etching fear into my heart. As a previous god, I knew all too well how dangerous they were when provoked.

_No...how could all of them come here at once, at a time like this?!_

_We're not even close to prepared...!!!_

-

~Tamahome~

"The procession is about to start!" I called to Miaka, whose bedroom was just down the hall. "Aren't you coming?"

The daily conference of Konan's royal palace had been postponed, in order to organize a ceremony regarding Hotohori's sudden death. The announcement of the Emperor's demise to the people of Konan was going to take place at the crack of dawn, and as the Suzaku no Miko, even with Suzaku out of the heavens and powerless, Miaka was obliged to attend. 

But she had only come out of her room once at night to stand in the rain, once to feed Tama-neko, and once before sunrise to the throne room, when she had taken the late emperor's sword. Why or how, no one knew, but...

"Where is she?!" I muttered impatiently, marching down the hall and swinging her door open.

The sight that greeted my eyes froze me in place.

"What the...?!"

"You'll need this sword for the battle; none of the other ones will do," Miaka, trembling, handed the deity's sword to two figures in identical robes, hovering in midair. Both looked freakishly like the boshi twins, but she continued on anyway. "Give it to Suzaku; he is the former god of Konan, so the sword of the emperor of Konan will suit him. Hotohori would be proud. 

"And give Byakko...these," she hesitated for only a second before removing the bracelets from her wrists, the ones that Nuriko had left to her after he had sacrificed himself. "They won't give him extra strength, because the seishi powers have been taken away by Hitori, but I'm sure Nuriko would want him to have his gauntlets in such a fight anyway. Both of my seishi would be honored if you'd take these; they'll help, regardless of how little."

The figures bowed slightly together, as they took the items.

"We shall make sure - " One started.

" - that they get these." The other finished.

Both were about to leave, but Miaka grabbed their sleeves before they could go. They turned around to stare at her, puzzled.

There were tears in my love's eyes, and her voice was strangled by her sadness, but she continued holding on. "Tell them...tell them that they are loved, and send them my blessings...please, Futagaza twins. Tell them to fight for me, and tell them that although I won't be there, my heart is with them...I know they're not even closely related to me, but I feel like they're my children, and I'm responsible for their safety!!" Her tone was desperate, but strong. "Tell them that...I'm counting on them to fight for me. Tell them."

So she does understand the importance of the battle... I sighed, realizing now that she was the strong leader she needed to be at this time. She realizes the danger of Juri and CLAMPraven's mission.

She may be young, but like Juri, she grew up faster than the normal children, because of the wars she'd been through. She's still the happy-go-lucky, slightly ditzy, adorable Miko that I've grown to love, but she is also...

She is also a woman. And a priestess, a dreamer, a lover...

The twins glanced at one another, then back at Miaka, and nodded. "It's good that you know what they're getting into," They chorused in unison. "Suzaku is lucky to have you as his Miko, and vice versa."

Then, in a flash of silver light, they disappeared.

There was silence, as I stepped into the room. Miaka gasped as she saw me. "You...were here?"

"Do you trust them?" I pointed to the spot where they once hovered. "For all you know, they could be working alongside Hitori, and we're none the wiser."

She shook her head. "There was something about the way they spoke, the way they stared at me...they said that they needed the weapons, since Aya had none...and they said it genuinely." 

"You're willing to base your judgment upon the way they talked?"

"...Well, if they worked for Hitori, they would've easily blown my head off. Besides, they took Hotohori's sword and Nuriko's gauntlets...two items which meant nothing to our enemies."

"But they also won over your trust, didn't they?"

"That's a given," she agreed. "But there is very little choice in the matter. I have to see it through that I help Juri's cause, however possible. These are desperate times, Tamahome...what else can we do?"

* * *

_Thus, the fated tournament commences, between not good and evil, but beliefs, triggered by love and denial alike._

_At Castle Judith..._

* * *

~Hitori~

Staring up beyond Castle Judith, I gazed at the stars with a small grin. "Beautiful day, isn't it?"

This was immediately followed by a slap in the face. 

"Shut up. Just shut the hell up, and listen, no da," Seiki whispered, withdrawing his hand. "Psyching me out with your sarcasm isn't an option right now, you hear?! This is the hour of destruction, the Battle of Shin'ai!!"

Floating at the edge of the balcony was my army of seven, and I was at their head. Still balancing atop the edge of the rail with ease, the Uoza no Mikoto stood ready to defend his minions with his life. 

How could I resist tempting him?

"Of course it is the Battle of Shin'ai, the hour of destruction, whatever fancy-shmansy thing you wish to call it," I giggled, dismissing this with a wave of my hand. "Heehee...lighten up, would you, Seiki? You're treating this like some sort of melodramatic Armageddon."

I turned to the others. "This is like a game of Octopus, ne, minna? Tenryuu, Setsuna, Jiro, Genki...you four don't have to play. Just rip open the roof. The rest of us can try to get past the grumpy old goat; we can use a bit of exercise. This shouldn't last more than a few minutes. It'll be fun!"

Seiki gasped, as four of the Mikotos raced up to the top of the castle. "Byakko's guarding the roof - he can't hold off four Mikotos by himself!!! Hitori...!!"

Smiling sweetly as always, I plunged my radiating mace into his stomach.

-

~Jenny~

"They're here?!" I cried, waving one kimono sleeve towards the ceiling. "And you can feel four of them..."

"On the roof on top of us. Right now..." Aya clutched his head in pain. "Gods...Byakko's up there!!! I assigned him to that position a few minutes ago!!! He can't hold them off!!! Not without a single weapon or spell...he's defenseless!!"

Pacing around the room frantically, the Otomeza no Mikoto was in a state of confusion. Not knowing what to do, we stood by him, fearing for our lives and the lives of the others around us.

Even as a full-fledged oracle, and even with the Sakura Griffin, we're still at a huge disadvantage, I thought worriedly. And where were Taikou and Enri now? They couldn't possibly still have been kissing in some hallway, oblivious to the dangers...?!

And Byakko...without anyone to help him, he could die...

He could die...before we even got a chance to restore him to a god!! Sairo is under enough peril without him in heaven, but with no god...!!!

"We got here as fast as we could -"

"- after Miaka gave us these!"

Turning around, I was more than relieved to see the Futagaza twins. "You two!!"

"What's that you have in your hand?" Irasa asked curiously.

Akira and Suzano held out their hands. One was carrying bracelets, and the other was carrying an elegant sword. I recognized them immediately as Nuriko's and Hotohori's. 

"Yuuki Miaka gave us these, because Seiki asked for weapons for Suzaku and Byakko, as they are defenseless," The twins chorused. "She sends you her love and her blessings; she wishes for you to fight for her and everyone else. Her heart is with you, and so is her soul. She is an excellent Miko to say such things."

Grabbing the gauntlets in her teeth, and throwing the sword to Suzaku, CLAMPraven plowed through us, her wings beat the air around her furiously. "I'll deliver this to Byakko!"

"Wait a second!!!" I called out worriedly. "What are you planning?!"

"To fly!" Having caught on to the plan, Tasuki slung himself onto the griffin's mighty back. "We have to f*cking bash open the damn roof and save Byakko!!!"

"Wouldn't that let the four Mikotos on top of us in through the gap?" Suzaku asked, his voice quivering.

"Aya told us the building fixes itself automatically, if I recall," Irasa murmured, scratching her chin. "Besides, if we don't get in there in time, they'll break through anyway..."

"Then it's settled!!!!" 

Bending back her powerful legs, CLAMPraven gave a mighty heave as her whole body, along with Tasuki, leaped off the floor, the bottoms of her feet caressed by air...flapping her wings wildly, as sakura petals came raining down from the branches on her body, she braced herself for her first flight, nearing the ceiling. The bandit laughed, as they soared higher and higher...

"BE CAREFUL, BOTH OF YOU!!!" I screamed. "Brace yourselves!!! Don't be reckless; they'll kill you if you take your eyes off them!!! I CAN'T AFFORD TO LET YOU DIE ON ME, CLAMPRAVEN!!!"

Winking back at me one last time through her cerulean eye, the Sakura Griffin Yohko bashed through the ceiling with a mighty BANG!!!!

-

~Seiki~

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH!!!!" I screamed in pain, clutching my stomach where he hit me as I tumbled through the air, catching myself just before I landed.... "HITORI!!!"

But it was too late. The four Mikotos had already gone in.

I winced in pain and bit my lip, urging myself to keep the pain inside me. Hitori was powerful, and I hadn't been hit really hard in years...!!! I'd let my guard down, and it cost us all greatly. Too greatly. 

Now they were inside Castle Judith with no one to stop them. It was like a lethal game of hide and seek. They could disappear anywhere and ambush Juri and CLAMPraven. Worst off, there was still the matter of the ones approaching Byakko on the rooftop...

_/All that and more. All that and more.../_ I thought to myself, staring at the roof through my mask, where a BANG!!!! had just gone off. _/But it's still not what I'm afraid of the most./_

_/Having to deal with Hitori was terrifying enough, let alone having to deal with all who support him...and fear him. But he...he was like a walking juggernaut. A time bomb. A devil. Satan./_

_/He wasn't afraid to die...!!/_

_/That alone...gave him the power to go beyond even Mikoto capabilities. That gave him the power to defy all that lives, all that value love and life...that gave him all his strength...enough to destroy all of us!!!/_

-

~Kano~

The battle is starting...the battle is starting...

Hitori is plunging himself deeper and deeper, and so is Juri, and CLAMPraven as well, although none of them knowing what they had gotten themselves into, taking on such a battle, a battle that would revolutionize the universe...

I pounded desperately at the magical walls around me, feeling my energy drain away, feeling tears rushing to my eyes, agonizingly trying to break free. 

There was simply no time as urgent as this. They'd die...they'd die if I don't help them!!!

If only someone was strong enough to break this barrier, the barrier Taiitsu-kun set up for so many centuries, centuries of darkness and melancholy, centuries underneath Mt. Black, not knowing night from day, and gradually becoming blind with fear...

If someone broke this barrier, I knew the rocky foundations of Mt. Black would not be a problem. I could get to Hitori and those children, and stop this madness. 

But how...?!

"Hitori...Hitori...I wish you'd stop...just stop this madness...before you destroy yourself..."

-

~Taikou~

"There you two are!" Irasa cried as soon as she saw us coming down the hallway, and marched forward angrily. "Where have you been?! The Mikotos are storming the castle!! Aya says they're inside right now!"

"They're what?!? Already?! But we didn't even sense it, up until a few seconds ago!!" I screamed, rushing towards the others with Enri in tow. "How did they manage to break through our defenses so quickly - oh, gods, tell me that's not Juri!!"

Enri's eyes widened, as his nails dug into my arm. "That's impossible...!! She's turned into..."

Frozen in place, jaws slack, we stared at the pale, beautiful young woman in front of us. She was both taller and older than Juri, with longer hair and skin as white as paper, that scared us as much as it astounded us, but those eyes...those eyes, darker than the bloodied roses at midnight, bore into our memories like daggers. 

There was no doubt in our minds at all. Those were Juri's eyes.

Shaking my head in bewilderment, I blinked to make sure it was real, and laughed when I realized it was. "The candles allowed you to transform, didn't they?! Juri, you know what this means, right? Your powers are - wait..." I stopped myself before I could go on, struck by another realization. "What about CLAMPraven?! The tankoubons all say that she'd transform when she sees her opponent in the Battle of Shin'ai, so does that mean..."

Everyone's eyes slowly traveled to the cherry blossom petals on the floor, then to the debris where a piece of the roof used to be, and then to the whole in the roof itself.

Behind me, Enri couldn't believe it. "So...you mean...she's...?!"

"She's gained her wings and is now flying alongside me, just like she'd always promised," Juri assured us, to our relief. "Her new form had no effect on her; she's still the same CLAMPraven we'd always known, except bigger, stronger, and..." she frowned, "...more reckless because of it. There are four Mikotos on the roof...she took Tasuki along with her to assist Byakko. But I'm worried that she might not make it...! She's a griffin now, but still..."

"Four Mikotos." I concluded, staring up at the torn ceiling. "_..._"

It was too much for us, too much for anyone. We'd had more than our share of chaos with Hitori, and now four Mikotos against just a few of us...even after all of the tribulations we'd gone through already...

_How do we survive...?!_

_Four Mikotos...plus the other four that we'd predicted about...they're all forcing their powers upon us, forcing us to change our ways or die in the process..._

_Juri would never give up her fight. She'd never give up on Suzaku or on herself, the beliefs that she's come this far for...but we're at such a severe disadvantage, and we'd realized it far too late...!! How do we overcome this?_

"Well, then, if we're all in agreement, don't just stand there!!" Aya barked with a wave of his arm in the direction of the hall, as he rushed in the other direction. 

"Wha...?" Juri stared at him. "What are you suggesting?!"

"Go. And split up into reasonable teams while you're at it. Spread out into all corners of Castle Judith, and try not to let them find you until I get back," the Otomeza no Mikoto warned us. "The Mikotos are going to be searching for you, and they won't stop in the way of anything; but you do have an advantage. Since they can't uproot the castle itself, as it's bound by Taiitsu-kun's magic, they can't find you as easily as that. I'm going to try and find the other Mikotos that have entered the castle; if I can find them and stop them from reaching you, our cover might last just a little longer..."

-

~Byakko~

"TASUKI?! CLAMPRAVEN!!! WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING HERE?!"

"SAVING YOUR ASS, YOU BAKA!!!" 

I stared in awestruck silence as the huge creature, so unlike the small Nyan-Nyan we used to know, glided past me, carried by the wind, the bandit in tow. The pain in my slashed arm had disappeared, at the sight. "She's transformed..."

Staring back at the Mikotos in front of me, I wondered if the gorgeous creature was as powerful as she was elegant.

Her eyes...her eyes were always the ultimate identification. One pool of undulating cerulean, the other of translucent turquoise, never to change or be covered. Those same eyes, once calm, playful, even teasing, were now burning with the fury and anguish of those who had died in this pointless battle, shining the hatred few had dared to speak out loud. Her glare was that of a ferocious tiger, defending her territory, in this game of life and death.

The Mikotos didn't flinch once. 

"So you're the Sakura Griffin Yohko who'd betrayed Hitori," Setsuna marveled softly, his eyes scanning the muscular cherry blossom wings outstretched as CLAMPraven landed. "This is surely an honor. Killing you was what Hitori had in mind for a long time, for your treachery to him. You were supposed to get rid of Juri before, just as you're supposed to now. But this time, it just had to be different, didn't it? You became her _friend..._"

The word was spat out so bitterly, they shivered up my spine. Emitting a small breath, I held my stance, as Tasuki dismounted off of the griffin's back, and tossed me two items. 

I caught them. They seemed to be Nuriko's gauntlets, the ones that Miaka wore; staring at him questioningly, I wondered how he managed to retrieve them, but put them on anyway. It was then, when I put them on, that he noticed my wound. 

"What the hell did they do to you?!" He hissed, eyeing my right arm with anger. "You okay, Byakko?"

I stared down at my arm. The dark beastly liquid splattered onto my legs and feet, and dribbled down to dispel the sheen of the glistening copper rooftop. It ran from a huge cut, the cut that the Oushiza no Mikoto, Koga, had made, when he slashed me with his knives, before CLAMPraven broke through the roof. Soon, the blood leaks had streamed down even the finely-crafted gauntlets that I had put on a second ago. 

It was grisly to look at, and the pain was agonizingly wriggling up my arm, to infiltrate my head, stifle my lungs, the smell of the fresh blood making me nauseous...the gauntlets were chaffing some of the veins, and it stung just to watch them bleed, but it was still the last thing on my mind.

"I'll be fine," I assured him. 

The bandit looked doubtful, but he left the subject alone, to my relief.

"F*cking Mikotos..." he muttered, brandishing his tessen. "The female Chibi-Nakago I could swallow, but hell, now they're brining out female Chibi-Miboshi, female Chibi-Tokaki, female Chibi-Tamahome with customized f*cking kitchen knives..."

And still, the Mikotos didn't move, stood in their place as if they hadn't heard him at all.

"These are desperate times, aren't they?" Jiro commented, his third eye twinkling. "Everyone trying to hold on, no matter how desperate the situations are. You're but a small group, against Mikotos far stronger than you could ever comprehend, but yet you still hold on for Juri." He chuckled wryly. "If you only knew what you were dealing with..."

"To hell with the small talk, then. How about you f*cking show us what we're dealing with?" CLAMPraven challenged, her voice calm.

This was greeted with a deafening silence.

_Something's going to happen...something terrible... _I thought, clutching my arm, hoping to stop some of the blood loss that was rendering my head into drowsy confusion. 

And silence.

_Something's going to happen..._

And silence.

_Something..._

Silence.

(BOOM!!!)

The shockwave of the crash blasted through my senses, made my ears bleed. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!" 

Clutching my head and pressing my body to the rooftop to avoid the full impact of the explosion, I held on tight, not realizing what had just happened, but knowing I was right.

_Something's happened...it's started...it's started..._

_Come on, Byakko, the dust's cleared. Get a hold of yourself!!_

Forcing myself to stand, I hoisted my body up with one arm, to see the Sakura Griffin Yohko and Setsuna soaring above us!

"YOU'RE GONNA F*CKING PAY FOR TRYING TO HURT US!!!" CLAMPraven screamed, hurling herself at the Sasoriza no Mikoto. "NO WAY IN BLOODY HELL I'LL LET YOU THROUGH TO JURI!!!!"

Evading the attack, Setsuna glided through the air above her; when CLAMPraven could finally catch herself, she found him glowing with a fiery light...

"_FUSHIGI AKAI ARASHI!!!_"

"_SAKURA HARUICHIBAN!!!_" The griffin screamed, remembering the spell she'd used before to defend Juri from Seiun, just as the rumbling cyclone of blood descended upon her. The two attacks were immediately on a collision course; in a blinding eruption of fire, the spells spiraled and died; however, she stood too close to the flames, and the shock from the immense energy knocked CLAMPraven back, sending her crashing into one of the metallic towers of Castle Judith. The tower couldn't support her weight, and immediately broke, collapsing on the rooftop in a pile of scraped, shattered brass.

Gasping in shock from the sheer force of the blow, CLAMPraven reached weakly out with a bloodied claw, to rise out of the debris...only to see Setsuna's hand pushing her back, an evil smirk on the Mikoto's face.

"Yohko..." He tsked softly. "If only you'd realized how easy this task was for us."

"CLAMPraven!!! CLAMPRAVEN!!!! YOU MOTHER-F*CKING BASTARD, DON'T TOUCH HER!!!!" Tasuki screamed, madly dashing over the rooftop in a desperate attempt to save her, not seeing the two other Mikotos hovering nearby...

"TASUKI!!!!" I cried...

...But it was too late.

"_KAGE KAITOU AKUTENSHI!!!"_

_"IRIAI NI RYUU!!!"_

The cruel winged shadow slashed at Tasuki; realizing the dangers, the redhead screamed, dodging its claws with a sudden leap, but gasping as the two translucent glowing dragons veered off, catching him at a moment of weakness...

The two heads punctured through his chest. His eyes widened. Blood spewed from freshly severed veins in all directions...

"**AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!!!!!**"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!" My eyes widened, not believing what had just happened before my eyes... "TASUKI!!!"

"**TASUKI!!!!!!!!!!!!**" CLAMPraven cried, shaking her head furiously. She struggled fiercely against Setsuna's hand, clawed at his robes, beat her powerful wings against his arms, kicked at his body...though it offered no release. "I HATE YOU!!! YOU HEARTLESS BASTARDS!!! **YOU F*CKING HEARTLESS BASTARDS!!!**"

But all to no avail...no avail...

"You...bastards..." The griffin burst into tears.

-

~Kano~

"First blood...I sensed it. Tasuki is dying, and CLAMPraven shall meet her demise soon as well if I CAN'T GET OUT OF HERE!!!"

Bashing my fist against the barrier in an insane fit, I found myself crying as well. A few seconds later, I calmed down, wondering if this was truly Armageddon...

"How could this end up so tragic...?! She loved him; yet, it had to end this way..."

No one could accuse Hitori of not understanding their love. He'd seen it, I was sure, and he'd felt it, and he'd accepted it in his heart, but that cruel manipulator named Pride got in the way of him letting them go...

Hitori understood. He just couldn't destroy his pride.

For that, the first blood of the battle had been shed. And there would be more...much more.

* * *

(Sighs...)

(Yes, you heard right. Tasuki is in a near-death condition. Chances are you'll never like Hitori or the other Mikotos again, and you'll be giving CLAMPraven the silent treatment on the reviews page for a LOOOOOOOOOOONG time, but...(wry grin) a writer's gotta do what a writer's gotta do!! (clasps hand over his mouth in shock) Holy shit; tell me I didn't just sound kinky again...)

_(fangirls): (nodnod) You did._

(NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! I'M NOT GAY!! I'M NOT!! I'M NOT!!! I'M NOOOOOOOOOOO - )

**(Ignore him. (whaps the narrator's head) And before you start getting any more senses of deja vu, I think we own you a big explanation for this chapter, huh? Not only did we go over the top again (about 22 pages in story text), but those scenes with Kano might've confused you even more. (ahem) Let me clarify.)**

**(If you'll remember, back when Kano assisted Juri (Jenny) and Yohko (CLAMPraven) in releasing their souls from Taiitsu-kun's spell that said they couldn't be reborn, which means that he enabled them to be reborn again and again, he was severely tortured, mutilated, turned into a youma, and then later cast from heaven by Hitori. His prison was underneath Mt. Black, in a magical barrier, of course, since even as a youma, he could break free from solid rock. And since he senses what's going on in the battle, as he is a youma, he throws in his own little quotes every once in a while. I think you can probably guess why they were put in (because he is an essential part of the cast and shall appear at the end of the next chapter, anyone?). However, we are afraid that he might sound like Emeraude-hime did at the end of Rayearth. (sweatdrops) so sue us. I certainly hope he didn't, because in this story, the ending shall be different!!! (triumphant teary-eyed glare as trumpet music plays in the background))**

**(Now remember, children, bring your tissue boxes and your Juri/Suzaku signs for the next class! And I hope that you have a wonderful break, for the sabbatical between this update and the next update shall be long, and you damn well better have something to do during that time period! You should also be aware that there are only two more chappies to go after this, and then it's on to the SPECIAL AKUGI COLLECTION!!! We've nearly finished the first installment of 'Toronto', and we're working on the bloopers, so be patient!)**

_(fangirls): (muttermuttermutter)_

**((notices) HEY!!! Oh, and by the way, you girls reminded me; how's CLAMPraven doing?)**

_(fangirls): (blink) (remembers) Oh, of course, CLAMPraven's fine. (loudly) BYAKKO!!!!!!!!!!_

_Byakko: Ahem! Right...erm, to begin with..._

_Byakko: (holds up status report) CLAMPraven' s mansion, as you know, collapsed with the explosives. The total damage is... (gulps) ...well, um, let's save that little tidbit for later, shall we? Eheheheheheheeee..._

_Byakko: (clears throat loudly) AAAAAAAAAAAANYWAY...Suzaku and co. had jumped out of the mansion at the nick of time, so they received very few damages, except for their fall in CLAMPraven's poison ivy garden. The girls were caught in the building, but they, likewise, had turned out okay, because like CLAMPraven said, 'All insane fanfiction authors have the power of immortality, invulnerability, and - _

**((severely irked by the repetition) DO YOU MIND?!?)**

_Byakko: AAAAIE!! (jumps) Alright, ALRIGHT!!! Sheesh...erm, so the girls and the cast...not to mention all of CLAMPraven's servants, butlers, and little furry mascots...got out with little to no trouble. But CLAMPraven's body was not uncovered until two days after the wreckage, in which we found out, with much relief, that she had reverted back to her very most basic crow form. A few days after that, she regains her abilities to transform. However, for good measure..._

_Byakko: She is now inside a mental hospital, and still needs to fulfill her sentence of 4 months. At the same time, she is responsible for finding her reverse beam for the braindead chocolate factory owners and a very, very good lawyer. _

_Byakko: And of course, with little to no idea how to tell her all the bad news about her mansion being destroyed, we decided to send SUZAKU!! (who else?)_

**(Meanwhile, in a galaxy not so far away, not even at a relatively safe distance, we can hear CLAMPraven's screams...)**

_Suzaku: GAH!!! (makes a mad dash for the nearest storm shelter...or the nearest white chocolate wrapper pile, whichever one was closer) DON'T HURT ME, CLAMPRAVEN!!! (thinks) I don' t know which was worse, her akuma form or her really grouchy mentally unstable half-awake and half-satanic form!!!!_

**WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN, YOU DESTROYED MY MANSION AND MY TRAPS AND MY DANGEROUSLY ADVANCED TECHNOLOGICAL NUCLEAR WEAPONS AND THE REST OF MY WHITE CHOCOLATE AND MY...**

(fades out)

-CLAMPraven 


	40. Episode of Power' Legacy 1

**"Juri"**

**-from girl to oracle-**

**By CLAMPraven**

* * *

~ Episode of Power ~

Part 39 of the Legend of Juri - Legacy (1)

* * *

**(Yet another exceptionally long author's note...)**

(yawns and stretches in hospital bed)...It seems as though I'd finally outdone myself. 

My mansion destroyed, my machines destroyed...sure, my Nyan-Nyans got me out of the courtroom and reversed the effects of the brainwashing, and sure, I've managed to sneak a release form from the mental hospital (4 months with Doctor Evil and Darth Vader? What are you, crazy?!), but...damn. I tried to tell Suzaku and the cast that I was sorry, but of course they chose to stay a good 20 dimensions away, and didn't hear me. (sighs) 

This just shows it's a bad idea. (tsk tsk) I'LL NEVER DO IT AGAIN, I SWEAR!!! (grovels) I'll try to stop my craving for white chocolate...in fact, I'll try to stop thinking about it altogether! Not that the cast would care, not by a long shot. I barely got permission to write this chapter! (calms down even more) Still, the treatment I'd gotten will suffice. And now, to answer some of your reviews, now that I'm a great deal more sober than you've ever seen me before (good or bad?)...

Ah, yes, Sansele...you're missing one, and it took me a little while to remember who it is, too, but now I do. _Kano._ (taps head) Yes? Yes...and just for some clues in order for you to get it, since it's really no secret, and since you really aren't a baka (as you'd claimed to have been in the reviews) and therefore deserve to know. ^-^ _Kano has silver hair. And Shishigo has brown hair. _Since you know there's only a few people with silver hair in FY, and since you already know Shishigo can't look like Miaka, I think you can make some very acute guesses. Regarding your second review, the Mikotos are just following orders, and Hitori, well...quite frankly, is just insane, and I hoped to have portrayed him as such. Given your opinion, I think that is exactly what I had done. (winks) Kai...if Draconsis really looked like Uranus, even _I_ would be scared. (nodnod) And I'm really sorry...but given the circumstances, I can't take requests at the moment. (shakes head) No...no no no... 

Flying Heart...thank you for being the newest addition to our little Juri family, regardless of how long you choose to stay. (smiles) Ah, yes, Chapter 23 is enough to throw anyone off, but I'm glad you are sampling this fic with interest. (bows head) Arigatou gozaimasu. And you've kept on the tradition...I don't think I've had one flame for this story before. Not a real one that said the whole fic sucked, anyway. Very good, grasshopper. (nods) Sanomi...just preaching in the way of morals and wisdom as the rent for the allotted space I take up in the universe. It is only human, not insane, to wish there was such a thing as real evil, though there is not, and I am thankful for your honesty. J. Liha, welcome back (long break, ne?); I quite liked the descriptions myself (though they're nowhere near the level of artistic expression capable of, say...Roku Kyu? Yes, I am a fan).

Otaku Pitcher...thank you for grading the last chapter so well. It was truly very considerate of you. (notices that she doesn't sound like herself at all, shakes it off, then continues) Being patient is a virtue; I hope this chapter hasn't kept you waiting for too long. And thank you; I will try to adapt to my new house. (shakes head) I couldn't agree more with the narrator; it truly does feel like the threshold of heaven. And the neighbors are people who you can borrow sugar from. That in itself is a wonder. Draconsis...yes, Tasuki has very little hope of survival here, if any. (nodnod) It's sad, but true. I'm a person who is very easy to read and predict, and you've done it all too well. Two chapters left until the akugis, and I sincerely hope that they will not disappoint. And do try to shake off that Uranus comment from Kai altogether.

A heartfelt apology to all who are Tasuki fangirls and hate it like it's Lucifer's doing when he's hurt, even at a minimal. (bows head) If you regretted his near-death in the previous chapter, you shall definitely need the kleenex for this chapter. It is a war, after all, and in wars, few survive; chances are, if you feel that a character is not significant enough to remain alive...he/she shall not remain alive here. And then some. Sorrows to those who feel for them (especially towards poor Sansele; I can guarantee the safety of only 3 of the 5 you had requested); the utmost gratitude to those who understand that bloodshed is an art, in writing and all else. (turns to the narrator) Wouldn't you agree? (sad look)

((eyes bulge out in fear of her calmness) (thinks that something must be severely wrong with CLAMPraven) Uh, of course!! Of course!! (gulps) Erm, in that case, let's start the chapter, shall we? Excuse me...!! (runs out the door at mach speeds))

(raises her eyebrow at the lack of tact) Alright...then. In any case...(leans forward, w. very serious look on her face)

This chapter, although not the final one, shall be the biggest milestone in the book. That's right...I can tell by looking at it here, that this shall be **the ultimate challenge. THE HARDEST SEGMENT TO WRITE IN THE WHOLE OF 'JURI'. ** I may even extend my limits...**if I feel that 2 chapters doesn't cover it well enough, I'll have to change it into THREE CHAPTERS BEFORE THE JURI SPECIALS.**

**I've made it a promise to try my best and tackle the hardest POV's, not to go for anything less, even the POV's of THOSE WHO ARE DYING, THOSE WHO ARE WATCHING THEM DIE, and THOSE WHO ARE PREPARING THEMSELVES FOR DEATH. This is going to be an assignment I know I will never forget, because to do this right is to cross over from an amateur onto the next level of talent. I promised that although I am as scared as hell to write about any sort of death, as all fanfiction writers should be (because it is so easy to underrate its pain and agony), I shall try to depict it rightly, though I could easily screw up and we're none the wiser. Do not underestimate this assignment; death is the last step for a person, that which one anticipates and fears with all their heart and soul. I shall try to write about that, even though I have not even come close to death in my life before. For this 2-chapter part, I am willing to go the limit, and make the written article OVER 50 PAGES LONG. For all of this, although it may not seem fair, I make it your duty to stick with me through the bloodshed within this segment, and be kind enough to inform me of whether it truly lived up to its name...LEGACY.**

-CLAMPraven 

* * *

~Tasuki~

Pain...

Gnawing on my bones, my heart, the smell of blood strangling me, forcing the musky air back into my throat and stifling my pulse with fear...

I couldn't see...clouds...clouds of light, swirling light in my vision...clouds...

//Breathe...breathe...// I told myself fiercely, trying to keep my heartbeat even...in...out...

...In...out...

God...it hurt, more than anything else had ever hurt me...I was being torn apart as if with the devil's pitchfork, throbbing, sizzling in the flaming palms of torture...I wanted to howl in pain, to rip the world apart in my agony...but my voice...I had no voice...my face contorted, wanting to grab out, hold onto something, anything, before it took me away...

The muscles in my fists tightened, with what little strength I had...it hurt like hell...more than hell, every muscle that moved and ached, every vessel that bled and ran in rivers across my body...I didn't know how I was going to live through this.

//A daredevil. Always a f*cking daredevil. Couldn't even...see the strike coming...and this is what happens when you run out of luck...//

My thoughts were cloudy, and my brain was hallucinating, flashes of black and white in my vision. My body was failing me miserably, even though I tried...gods, I tried...!! 

As I choked on the blood lingering on my tongue, my eyes watering as I realized it was going to be the end, I heard voices...from the Mikotos...from Byakko and CLAMPraven, struggling to get closer to me...

"TASUKI...!!!"

"TASUKI!!! DON'T YOU DARE DIE...DIE ON ME!!! DON'T..."

Words were missing...my ears were bleeding from the impact of the attack. It seemed as if every inch of my body was a shattered mosaic...my spine wasn't completely there, and it hurt...it hurt, gods, more than words...!!!

I'd heard about dying...hell, who hadn't? How painful it was, how it suffocated you, took you from this earth, from those who love you, into mystery of endless bounds; since no one ever tells you what it feels like on their deathbed, you can't possibly know until you've been there and done that. I'd always thought of it as the most terrifying experience in the world, ever since I was little. Always. Now I knew it was worse...it wasn't the most terrifying experience in this world...

_It wasn't of this world._ That was what made it so horrifying...it wasn't of this world. And people are so damned mistaken about this...death was peace. Dying...gods, _dying_...the pain was hell, but the faces of the people you love hurt even more. You just wanted to hang on to your last breath forever...tell them with it not to cry. But your words are wasted. And everything around you was boiling, everything was screaming, everyone was weeping, and you just wanted the nightmare to end...!!!

I grimaced, feeling another jolt of pure agony that made me cough up fresh blood. My face contorted, and the air tore out of my throat like a bullet...an invisible cry of help.

It was everywhere, the liquid...everywhere, and I couldn't escape it. 

No escape.

None... 

The attack had went straight through my f*cking spinal cord...then through _me_...my ribs were broken, and jutted...gods, out of my skin, out my shirt, the feeling of it making me want to retch out my insides...

I was sure I'd lost pieces of myself. Physically, mentally, emotionally...it was as though I was having an out-of-body experience, there and hurting, but not quite there...drifting away...

Away...

//Get a hold of yourself, Tasuki...you can't die!!//

//You have to fight!! Have to live...for Juri and CLAMPraven, remember?! If you die, they'll never forgive you, you'll never forgive yourself...all of us will have to live with the guilt for the rest of our lives...!!!//

But I knew I didn't have that much time left. 

"TASUKI!!!! DON'T!!!"

In that time, I was going to attempt the impossible.

I tightened my grip on my tessen, hoping to be able to hoist my weight up with my other arm...with any other wounds, it would've been simple. But with a hole punctured in your spine, and the raw flesh pushed out of your skin, your bones twisted and crushed, I wasn't sure I could even support myself...

I couldn't think much about it, though. I had to hurry, before I lost my nerve...before I lost consciousness. 

There were only a few scrapes that I could make out from my horribly myopic assessment of the damage...since I had no free hand, I used the metallic cold of the tessen to keep the open gash of my stomach closed, to keep the blood from flowing out. 

//I am weak, but I am strong...weak, but strong...//

I twisted my neck slightly, and forced my vision to straighten and find CLAMPraven. The pinkness was almost impossible to ignore, and she continued to bash her wings murderously against the Mikoto forcing her against the scrap metal, hoping desperately that she could reach me. Her eyes were on me...I knew they were. She screamed something indiscernible, and I couldn't make it out; it was like nothing I'd ever heard come out of her before...I wasn't sure if it was because she had given herself over to a beastly rage, or because I was losing grip on my senses...

//You have to push yourself now, Tasuki...usually you'd stay within some sort of barrier, but hell...there really is _ nothing_ to lose this time, is there? _Nothing._//

The blood trickled from a huge, ghastly slash on my forehead to my eyes, and I brushed it off nonchalantly with the arm that hoisted me up. For that moment in the universe...I was invincible. I could do anything, be anyone.

//This determined everything; you can't hear her, but she can still see you!! Damn it, pull yourself together!!!//

Holding onto the savagely torn muscle and tissue, and losing feeling altogether, I summed up all of my last strength...

//Arigatou, CLAMPraven...there aren't a lot of things to say now, are there? But thank you...you took care of me, fought by me, and understood me...at this point, I feel as if we'd spent our f*cking lives together. Isn't that something?//

//This is my last fight...for you...!!!// 

I lifted my arm up...slowly, slowly...from Byakko's direction, from the other Mikotos, to where Setsuna and my Sakura Griffin glared in muted horror. Straining the last of the guiding light in my heart to my eyes, struggling to complete this final mission which would make everything right, I aimed. Slowly, my cracked, bloody lips bent, against all odds...

And as if with the force of a thousand iron hands, I smiled. One last time.

_"...If my life's cut short during the Battle of Shin'ai...your crazy, idiotic, reckless fanged smile...would be the last thing I'd see. Please, Tasuki...?"_

//I promised you, CLAMPraven...I'll never let go of you without that smile I promised. It's a little early...but you'll live on without me, and I don't think I'll have enough time to wait...//

A waterfall of tears stained CLAMPraven's feathers, as her eyes widened in horror at that simple smile, that last smile she never wished she'd have to see, and never expected to see from me so soon. As if the light of my eyes had shown her, it suddenly became official, engraved in the stone of destiny. 

I was going to die. And that smile, traveling on the wings of fate, to kiss her damp cheek, determined everything.

I was going to die. But not without...

Not without...

"LEKKA SHINEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

-

Byakko and CLAMPraven screamed in terror. The other Mikotos flinched in shock. I didn't have to see, for despite my overwhelming pain that was eating me alive, I could tell in my heart what was meant to happen.

Setsuna was caught off guard, and I knew he'd be. Because when I swung that arm, it took every last ounce of willpower, every last bit of strength I had in my heart, even strength I'd cheated that I knew I was never capable of before...came out of nowhere...

...And greeted the Mikoto in a last eruption of holy fire!!

Gasping in shock, Setsuna let go. Soaring from his grasp, CLAMPraven flew out of the debris, with a roar. But it was not a triumphant roar, it was a roar of disbelief, one last blood-curdling cry to send me off to the true palace in the sky.

It was peace. It was truly peace. Now, with nothing left in my body, I was finally ready to let go...

//I'd fought all my life. Now it's finally time to surrender...//

I closed my eyes...

-

~CLAMPraven~

What I saw, I couldn't swallow. 

Hovering up there, as the last radiant embers dispersed in ash and smoke, and as all of the damage done to the castle fixed themselves, all I could do was cry.

"TASUKI!!!!! Damn idiot...all your f*cking bravado just couldn't let it go without a fight, could it?!" I hollered with choked breath and bloodshot eyes, down to the gentle wisps of lifeless smoke below me, to the lifeless body that collapsed in a pile of useless blood and flesh. 

I shouldn't have expected an answer...I knew that. But somehow, deep in my heart...I'd always believed that our good intentions would miraculously keep us alive, through anything...now I knew how naive that was. Love hurts, too...

"Tasuki...Tasuki!!!" 

Tasuki...gave up everything. For Juri...for me. And now that the last breath has left his body for good, he finally rests the metal fan in peace, that hothead. His body's finally silent.

But...I don't want it to be silent... I cried in my heart, not believing the irony. I don't want it to be silent...

"I don't want it to be f*cking silent...not like this...!!!" I murmured, the hatred welling up inside, grating away at my defenses. All directed at the fate that took him away from me.

I loved him. I loved him. Why does everything have to end this way...?!? 

Why is nothing fair?! If the Mikotos weren't right, and what we fought for was true, then why is nothing fair?!?

"CLAMPraven!!! WATCH OUT!!!" Byakko screamed.

"Wha...?!" I gasped, snapping out of my trance, and ducking with a mighty blast of wind from under my wings...just in time to evade yet another blast of scarlet, and the Sasoriza no Mikoto pouncing yet again into the sky.

I'd made it. But inside my heart, that bursting ray of energy had chipped away another portion of my heart, and it bled from that sinister wound that threatened to destroy me. I could hardly breathe in the face of fear, as the same piercing eyes stung me once again.

You're f*cking kidding...bloody hell, he's still alive?!? Still alive after Tasuki's fire, after Tasuki bleed for his blindness?!

This was the last straw. I couldn't stomach any more.

Tasuki's death...meant nothing. Did nothing. Proved nothing. The bastard...that monster, who was so blind he couldn't even see through Hitori's wicked plot...wasn't even hurt. Tasuki sacrificed the last of his energy, whereas he could've lived...for absolutely nothing.

Through my tears, I searched for any sense of guilt on the Mikoto's face...but as he struck mercilessly at me, I could find nothing but that same sense of duty his glare always had.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the same pool of blood. Tasuki's body looked dull and eaten away by ghostly shadows, but it was still the center of my attention. Not Setsuna...I didn't care how he planned to get rid of me. That lifeless body was that which fuelled my anger, that which I couldn't get over. 

That lifeless body meant nothing now. But it was the same body in which pounded a vigorous, spontaneous, vivacious heart only seconds ago. With that heart, he had charmed everyone, and with that soul, he embraced the world in his glorious shine. He was loved...so loved, no one could've understood if they didn't know. His spirit was the fire of the Suzaku Shichiseishi, and it gave them wings, to soar...

But now those same strong, loving arms that embraced me once were now nothing but bloodstained cloth and lifeless tissue. That pulse which had pounded like a drum in his chest was now somber and quiet...and that deceased corpse could never touch anyone with the same gentleness, the same tenderness, that same happiness...ever again...!!

"You should've known he'd be sacrificed; without his seishi powers, Tasuki had no defenses!!" Setsuna shouted, as his fist pounded into my chest. "You of all people should've seen it coming!!"

I squeezed my eyes shut, my anger boiling...boiling...

The Mikotos still have no f*cking idea what they'd done to us, the angel that they'd taken away from us. 

I'll make you all pay...!!!

With a vicious strike, I screeched lividly, pinning down Setsuna's unsuspecting body with my claws, and using all the power I had within me, held on tight. The rage inside me devoured everything else.

Underneath us, I could see the other Mikotos...they were after Byakko. He had no escape route; the tear we'd made in the ceiling earlier had already repaired itself, just like Aya said it would. I heard the ex-tiger god's screams; he knew what I was up to, from the furious light that shone from my body. And I knew this would be the last time I'd hear that voice again. 

Before I could have a chance to regret what I was doing, I invoked all the energy I had within me, until each of the cherry blossom petals on my body shone like crystalline gems. Flaming invigoration...selfless rage...it was all there, reflected in my wings, wings that spread apart so that each petal touched a star in the universe...until my whole body became engulfed in embers of fury, a celestial supernova...

"BYAKKO!!!" I called down, making sure that he could hear me through the rumbling of the attack that I knew would detonate my body. "DUCK!!! NOW!! OR THE BLAST WILL GET YOU!!! YOU'RE A GOD; WE CAN'T AFFORD FOR YOU TO GET KILLED!!! YOU HAVE TO ESCAPE, FOR SAIRO AND FOR JURI!!!!"

Down below, my acute vision picked up on his fear, and on the surprised looks of the Mikotos. Setsuna seemed awed...but by now, I knew even the strongest attack of mine won't kill him. What it would do would keep him from the others, for now at least...even though the attack would take me down as well. 

This was my last bout. And I couldn't have been happier...for I've done everything I could, and I've done it the way I'd always thought I would in my dreams...

I smiled at the thought, as the last of the world seemed to fade away in blazing starlight. You'll be safe, Byakko. This explosion would provide you with an escape route; it'll blast through the roof. You'll find the others. You'll live.

I've done all I could for you, Juri; I've kept my promise, just as Tasuki had kept his promise to me. I'll be seeing him soon...

"_**MEGAMI TEIKIATSU!!!**"_

* * *

_The events atop the roof were disastrous enough, but the hunt does not cease inside the castle itself, for four more Mikotos are lurking, as Juri's minions scattered into the vast maze of rooms inside Castle Judith. Their sole strategy was to split the Mikotos up, buy time for Juri's powers to be unleashed upon Hitori..._

_Inside Castle Judith, a snake is waiting..._

* * *

_~_Irasa~

_/Everybody's departed,/_ I sighed inwardly, brushing away the blue shag in the way of my eyes. My hair never got a rest from static, especially when I felt anxious. _/Everybody's departed...except me./_

Standing in the middle of the throne room alone...just waiting for the roof to collapse upon my head in the silence.

I'd stayed back, even though Aya told all of us to split up and run. I'd stayed back...because I knew that the rooftop battle was going to need back-up. Juri let me stay, because she knew this as well. Without me, she'd taken Suzaku and Akira with her down one passage, while Taikou, Enri, and Suzano went down another. 

Somehow, in my instinct, I knew it would all come crashing down. Byakko, CLAMPraven, Tasuki...they were not strong enough to face off against the Mikotos. Not at all. And when they needed to bail, I couldn't stand the thought of leaving them to find us...they'd have more difficulty doing that than the Mikotos would. I knew I'd have to stay, and that if the roof does come raining down, they'd be injured, and someone would have to take care of them, even if that someone was deaf and not as powerful as a godly entity.

They needed me here.

_/Patience, Irasa, patience...you have to wait for them.../_

It was hard to be patient, I had discovered in the minutes I had stayed, just standing there, waiting for the sky to fall. I'd paced around, sat down on the throne, leaned against the walls, all the while fumbling with my fingers, and nervously glancing around, gritting my teeth at the ceiling at every scream, or even a slight rumble that told me it was coming, and it was coming soon. While I was normally a very patient person, having worked as a servant all my life, I found the prospect of waiting for my friends to be injured by the Mikotos, needless to say, _nerve-wracking_. 

It wasn't the first time I'd felt useless, but what made it even worse was how terrifying it was. The roof was one possibility...if it collapsed without warning, I was sure I'd have a heart attack, even though I'd been bracing myself for it. The other possibility was if Aya actually didn't keep the Mikotos back, and they rushed into the throne room. I'd die. All this could happen too easily. 

Even though I'm supposed to be a soldier...I felt...

(**CRAAAAAAAAAAASH!!!!!!**)

Screaming in horrified shock, I was tossed to the floor by the impact of the shockwave...though I heard no sound. Scampering desperately into the small gap underneath the throne chair, I held my breath, my hands covering my head, as the debris rained down upon the room. 

I didn't hear the screams. I didn't hear the thundering of the debris. I couldn't. All the same, I knew it was there. That was the most frightening part about being deaf. There were no sounds...none.

My eyes were their widest, giving me the look of a frightened kitten, as I panted heavily in the dark crevice, hand over my heart, listening intently to my wild pulse. Though I had no idea how to listen to it, and no idea what it would sound like, in my mind, I could almost imagine thumping...

_/Ba-dum, ba-dum, ba-dum.../_

My heart seemed to be suffocating inside my ribcage...the urgent thumps made it hard to breathe evenly, and I struggled to get a hold of myself...

_/Alright...alright...the worst is over...the worst is over.../_

_/Move. MOVE. You have to get out from underneath the throne chair, Irasa! You can't hide forever!!/_

_/Ba-dum...ba-dum...ba-dum, ba-dum.../_

_/Now is not the time to be timid. Now is the time to be strong. Be strong, Irasa./_

Slowly, I lifted one trembling finger, to see if the nerves were still functioning. Then slowly, I moved my dirtied palms, grasping inch after inch of floor, breath abate, knowing that anything could've been waiting for me when I came out...

Inch...by...inch...my head had made it around one leg of the throne, and I timidly peeked out...

...To see the dead body of Tasuki.

-

~Kano~

Shock. Terrible shock, I deducted.

"Not this...it's terrible enough when they die, but when others find out...it's..."

I could sense it anywhere. This time, it was from Irasa, the Medusa offspring, third generation. 

It was strong, fiercely strong...Irasa was not a very sociable creature, but when she did care for someone, she cared a great deal, a great deal more than she showed, proven through the bond between her and all of Juri's minions. I'd watched her with my senses, since I couldn't watch her with my eyes; Medusas were rare, even in the third generation, here in the Universe of the Four Gods; I'd seen her ways. 

Instead of covering her care up with denial, though, as Hitori would, she covered it up with a very gentle silence, demonstrating only through the simplest gestures how much she cared. She was always a fragile person... 

To see a dead person in front of her whom she'd trusted and known was enough to break the girl.

-

~Irasa~

My eyes widened instantly in alarm, and pale hands flew to my mouth, killing the scream that threatened to come out. The body was so close to me, my foot was touching it. But by the flaring red mass of hair, I couldn't have mistaken it for anyone else...!!

_/Tasuki./_

_/Dead./ _

_/Dear gods...red, blood red staining his face, but gods, it is him...it is him but how could it be him?!? How could they kill Tasuki?! No one could kill Tasuki...no one could...no. No, no, no no no...this can't be happening, this can't be...can't be...there's a gaping hole through his stomach, through his spine!!! How...? HOW?!/_

_/Can't be...!!!! Can't be him it isn't logical it isn't reasonable it isn't fair it can't be Tasuki dead!!!!! Dear merciless gods...merciless...Tasuki...dead.../_

Shivering madly with hysteria now, my heartbeat raced to its peak, until it was like a blaring siren, with no intervals, burning a hole through my chest. I found myself pressed against the wall, my eyes unable to focus, hands pressed against my mouth, though even I knew horrified squeaks were escaping...my feet shuffled against that wall, trying to get away at the dead body so close to me.

It was him. It was him; there was no mistake. Tasuki...lying there, face down, his hair tousled, stained with dark pools of his own blood...I could barely stare at it, and I turned my head away, unable to concentrate on the mutilated spine and contorted muscles, ripped out of their places...

Shaking my head furiously, I desperately tried to cover my all-too-sensitive nose as well, from that unmistakable smell of raw flesh, that would've been tempting on any other dead animal, but a human...?! My own comrade?!?

_/I'm going insane...slowly, surely, I'm going insane...__GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF!!!/ _I was screaming at my animal instincts now, furiously trying to drive away the forces of a Medusa's nature. _/CHECK ON THE OTHERS!!!/_

With the scream of my inner voice, I pushed myself off the wall, and shut my eyes tight. Clutching my fists tight, I ran away from the dead body, to another wall...right into a wounded Byakko.

The ex-tiger god was alive, to my relief, and my first impulse was to be scared off by the redness of the gashes on his body, scars through his chest and a gaping slash through his arm...gashes that made my eyes hot and itchy and painful just to think of it. But I obeyed my second instinct, hugging him tightly and crying, not letting go. 

A minion who was still alive, and breathing, and here now. All I needed. 

It wasn't what I should've been doing, I knew, as I buried my head in his chest. I should've been the one protecting him, instead of crying into his bloodied shirt...it was what I had stayed behind to do, after all. But I couldn't control myself, and - as I learned a second later, after seeing his face - apparently, neither could he.

'Tasuki...CLAMPraven...both of them, dead...' I saw him whisper. Seeing confused disbelief on my face, he furrowed his eyebrows, and repeated it, making sure the impact sunk in. 'CLAMPraven...dead as well. She'd used her strongest attack, and it blew her body to ashes.' 

_/Blew her body...into ashes?! She's...dead...as well?!?/_

Panic ensued again in my head, and once again, my heart rate jumped. But this time, it was even harsher, because CLAMPraven was...

_/CLAMPraven. One of our motivators. She was the Sakura Griffin Yohko, one of our saviors...!!! Dying this early in the battle...IMPOSSIBLE!!!/_

'IMPOSSIBLE!!!' I screamed with all my might into Byakko's ear, as tears of fear and anger trickled down my face. He winced visibly, never expecting me to scream, yet I didn't stop. 'SHE CAN'T BE KILLED!!! THE SAKURA GRIFFIN'S POWERS WERE LEGENDARY!!!'

But then it hit me. 

_/CLAMPraven was always closer to Tasuki. She and Tasuki were almost always together, plotting, scheming...they loved each other, didn't they? If Tasuki was hurt, wounded, anything.../_

'She'd die to avenge him,' I finished, solving the puzzle at last. 'She died...for Tasuki. What anyone would've done for someone they loved.' I shook my head furiously, tears streaming down my neck now. ''Stupid...stupid girl...!!!'

It was hard to stop the tears from flowing. So hard...an honorable fighter could die because of love, and you couldn't blame CLAMPraven for her sacrifices...but for the Mikotos to use this to their advantage was cruel. They weren't human...they were monsters, wicked, terrifying monsters, trying to decimate us...

_/Why did they have to turn it into a tragedy? They're Mikotos, aren't they? Aren't they...fighting for what they think is right? How...how can killing a love be right?!/_

'Don't cry, Irasa. She did all she could...and she hurt them. The roof gave way through her attack, and she showed them what she was capable of. Look." With a mighty twist, Byakko turned me around to face the throne room, his finger pointing towards the sky.

The ceiling was repairing itself. The last pieces of debris, by this time, had fitted back into place, until with a shimmering light, the whole roof that had collapsed inside was perfect, as though nothing had ever hit it. 

And hovering near the roof...were three Mikotos. All of the garments that they wore were torn to shreds, their robes left disheveled, scraps of their attire fluttering in the wind, giving them the look of the devil's specters. Their auras were menacing, yet evidently not at their full power. 

But even though their faces couldn't be seen clearly, they were hurt!!

Up until now, I'd never thought I'd see the Mikotos hurt...or frowning. But here they were. It shocked me...and...

It made my heart brighter, somehow. Seeing them wounded from battle, for once, gave me hope. Perhaps...they could be overcome after all? Perhaps, CLAMPraven and Tasuki...their deaths had affected our enemies? 

'The powers of the griffin were formidable,' the one in the middle remarked. 'It's too bad she couldn't live for very long; she would've been a truly astounding fighter, had she been on the right side. But she had to be selfish and blunt, not to mention arrogant...'

But I wasn't paying attention.

_/So her death was not in vain at all, and neither was Tasuki's...and the hateful look on the Mikoto's face proves that she was not only worthy, but noble...! And if...CLAMPraven could accomplish this...Juri can defeat Hitori. She can. She will./ _

'She will defeat him,' I murmured quietly to myself, and would've had more time to contemplate on that_, _had Byakko not grabbed my arm, and made a mad dash for the safety of the halls, away from the Mikotos...

-

~Setsuna~

"I wonder what the girl meant by 'she will defeat him'?" I questioned Jiro beside me, as soon as they ran off. A persistent blood flow from a slash on my cheek made moving my visage hard, but I chose to ignore it.

"She probably believes in Juri far more now that she's seen the damage the Sakura Griffin Yohko brought upon our heads," Jiro muttered, wincing at a particularly deep scrape on his shoulder. "No matter. It's a game of cat and mouse...we shall find them all eventually, if Hitori hasn't already." 

CLAMPraven was something...truly something...both Jiro and Koga were wounded, cuts and bruises in their arms, and their prides damaged. I was injured, too, with not only the slash on my face, but with multiple bleeds, and long stinging gashes in my chest from the griffin's claws pinning me down...having been so close to CLAMPraven at the time of the Megami Teikiatsu, I was the most injured, with my robes tinted with her ash. CLAMPraven's ash. CLAMPraven's flames. 

Her attack was uncalled for. It was humiliating on our behalf...not to mention feral and uncivilized on hers. But all in all, she was a beast...we should've been more alert for brash behavior. Just never thought she'd blow herself up, for the sake of Tasuki and all of her comrades. 

Mikotos were not used to being injured. We were not used to fighting in general. We'd always thought of ourselves as untouchable, and the feuds we have with the gods, Taiitsu-kun, and amongst one another usually do not bring about bloodshed. 

We'd held Aya, Seiki, and the Futagaza twins in the highest favor before all this had happened, though gods knew why with the stunts they pull sometimes...Aya was beautiful, and always kind and dignified, though he was always a bit of a neat freak. Seiki was our philosopher, despite his being a hermit, and the twins...well, they had their moments. Without them, the Koudoutai didn't feel complete...we hadn't felt complete ever since Hitori banished Kano all those years ago. But now...

To fight our fellow Mikotos seemed a sin. And even taking away CLAMPraven's life, and Tasuki's...it didn't feel right. The insults we'd cast upon their foolish love even seemed a crime. And this whole battle...

"Setsuna. Guilty thoughts?"

"Hm?" Jolted out of my thoughts, I shook my head vigorously. "No...no, no, it was nothing. But even so, you must admit, having to defeat each other in such a battle, and having to take away lives...it's not something we wanted to do, but - hm?!" Twisting my head in the direction of the ceiling, I gaped. "Seiki?"

"I'd pinpointed you after Hitori jabbed me in the stomach and lunged inside the castle, no da," the blue-haired Mikoto gazed wistfully down at us, his shimmering eyes filled with sympathy. "I'd sensed CLAMPraven's death, and Tasuki's as well...you did this, didn't you, na no da? You didn't want to, but you finally got the nerve to kill them, no da." 

"We had to," Koga retorted, his mouth bent into a wicked grin. "It was our duty, and we made sure it was done. We're proud of ourselves for it."

But even being as good a liar as Koga was, the glint of hurt in his eye told clearly that his words had little conviction.

Seiki's expression only became sadder, as he brandished his gleaming trident from underneath his cloak. "Then fight me...if you're so confident, no da."

-

~Kano~

So Irasa was strong enough to withstand Tasuki's death, and even the Mikotos felt guilty. I knew it, I thought happily, even in the cold, dreary dungeon underneath Mt. Black. This battle might lean towards Juri yet!

In my heart, I was grateful. The Battle of Shin'ai was reaching a climax...

But meanwhile, there were other more pressing concerns. At the other end of Castle Judith, Aya had met up with Chichiri. There, both of them faced off against four Mikotos...Tenryuu, Shishigo, Haru, and Hitori...they'd been fighting all while the rooftop battle was going on, and now both the Otomeza no Mikoto and the blue-haired monk were exhausted.

Hitori...was still as vigorous as ever, and satanic...he wouldn't stop at anything. Would it be his downfall?

"Gods, have mercy on him...he doesn't know what he's getting himself into...!! And Aya and Chichiri..."

"Please...let them be safe..."

-

~Aya~

Panting furiously, I growled, picking myself off the floor, making sure my hands didn't leave my ankle, where the gash was worst. 

My pale garbs were stained with wild splashes of dark blood, their blood and my own, even Chichiri's blood. Already, I had suffered severe injuries, though we'd had no casualties. There were bruises of white knuckles all along my arms, blue-black swelling from Hitori's incessant jabs with his mace, and rivers of blood running from my knee to my ankle...

I had been cut deeply down the lower leg, into the thick, rippling red of my muscles, though not completely through to the bone, by Shishigo's huge saber. I didn't doubt that he hit at least one vein along the way, because immediately after it had been cut, the raw muscle spewed blood as if they were geysers. The loss of fluid had been too great already, and it overwhelmed me, until I felt drowsy and unable to hang on to my conscious mind...but I gritted my teeth and summoned up all my nerves, and grabbed the severed vein just as I had learned to in my training, sealing it the best I could with my bare hands. 

But this left me vulnerable, as my hands had to stay at my ankle, and left Chichiri alone to cover for me and to defend. 

_Thank the gods Juri had thought of putting Chichiri here before this onslaught of Mikotos began...thank the gods that she stationed the monk right where my path crossed with Hitori's. But if anything happened to him, I'd..._

_I'd..._

Though I already knew they were toying with us. Hitori hadn't been making any moves, and the rest of his Mikotos looked sluggish as well. They weren't doing this for the sake of battle...they were teasing us.

"Still struggling, Aya-chan?" Hitori smiled. "Are you positive you should be doing that? To lose you would be to lose a second Mikoto...and that can't be too good for the Universe of the Four Gods, ne? But look...your back-up doesn't seem to be faring much better than yourself. You're certainly left with very few choices."

"I'll say," Shishigo smirked from behind him, a hand running through his dark brown hair. "Ah...all in a day's work. You can still surrender, you know. With a little bit of forgiveness, and a lot of work, Haru can probably heal up that nasty cut that I gave you, not to mention those ugly gashes on Chichiri's chest. You'd be doing the heavens a favor. It's really your call."

"Our call, our loss, no da." The seishi beside me spat. "We won't compromise this mission. Not even if we die."

I stared at Chichiri, squinting to make sure it was accurate. Maskless, the elderly seishi seemed a vision of beauty...but his visage was chilling when angered and wounded. Along his left brow was a sharp cut, through the eyebrow, to accompany the scar he already had, courtesy of Haru's needlelike projectiles. Streaks of blood ran down his face, to reach down to his shoulder blades, streaming across his shirt. There were fresh gashes all over his body, especially along his elbow, where Hitori had taken a sharp whack with his left wing. 

_All these wounds...earned from protecting me._

All this only churned more anger from inside me, and I reached for another arrow, and notched it onto the bow string. The whole room felt as though it were spinning from my blood loss, and I narrowed my eyes, trying to see beyond the stars that threatened to blind me. I had to keep fighting.

_For Juri. For Juri. It was like Chichiri said. We won't compromise even if we die._

_Even if we..._

I let go of the arrow...

"_Ai...no...TSUNAMI!!!_"

* * *

(stretches in hospital bed) Yes, I think it's definitely going to be **ANOTHER 2 CHAPTERS!!! Not just one more chapter, 2 MORE CHAPTERS!!! **Sorry...I just love using bold. Otherwise, no one ever catches these things. (sweatdrops) Yes, you'd better believe it. Not only do I suck at keeping stories condensed (I'm terrible, I am...), but I AM BACK TO BEING CHIBI KAWAII HYPER!!!! (toothy smile)

(Or if this scares you too much, simply get rid of the 'Chibi Kawaii' part. (shakes head sadly) I'd expected CLAMPraven to stay somber at least for a few more minutes. But...)

(This was not to be, for she had received a review from ROKU KYU. (shakes head again) She demands me to have her name in capital letters. DAMN IT, CLAMPRAVEN, SHE'S NOT THE QUEEN OF ENGLAND (which we don't own), OR ANYTHING!!!)

OF COURSE SHE'S NOT!! (smiles sweetly) Who'd want to be the Queen of England? I swear, royal family's got pickles stuck up their -

(**STOP!!!! **(clears throat) Now, now, CLAMPraven, we have no right to insult people who can easily sue us for the clothing off our backs. (wags finger) Big no-no. Not unless we're trying to impersonate Eminem-chan (again, we don't own...).)

(horrified) You didn't just call him 'Eminem-CHAN'. (blinks) Gods, Narrator, you're even more kinky than I'd imagined!!!

(SHADDAP!!!! (throws a white chocolate wrapper at her) STOP TEASING ME!!! Everybody teases me...)

(eyes bulge out) **WHITE CHOCOLATE WRAPPER?!? **(starts licking the wrapper)

((sweatdrops) Riiiiiiiiiiight...)

(Now, where were we before we got sidetracked by white chocolate, the Queen, profane rappers, and the various uses of pickles? Hm? Ah, yes...ROKU KYU. So anyway, ROKU KYU reviews CLAMP-raven, the last review of the bunch, and thanks to ROKU KYU, CLAMPraven returns to her old chipper self! So chipper, in fact, that she had to go and tell the news to somebody. And oh, no no no, she doesn't go to her friends, since she doesn't have any in the new neighborhood. So who does she go to? Namely...HER DAD. Could you imagine how that could've gone? (snickers) It must've been something like: "Hey, Dad! Guess what?" "What?" "You know Fanfiction.net? WELL, I just got a review from ROKU KYU!! (squeals) She's so cool!!! She's half Japanese, knows aikido, is super smart... she writes about rape and everything!!! Oh, and did I mention it was gay rape, dad? (fangirly sigh) Yeah_, _I think she's awesome, too!!!" (cracks up) Aaaahahahahaaaa...gods...eeheeheehee...)

(severely irked) STOP IT, NARRATOR!!! (throws the candy wrapper back at him, but only after making sure she'd licked off any last traces of chocolate) In any case...ARIGATOU GOZAIMASU, ROKU KYU!!! You're amazing!! (kowtows...which is very hard, considering she's on a hospital bed) ARIGATOU!! ARIGATOU!!! I LOVE YOUR WORK!!! ARIGATOU!! ARI -

(Stop it.)

(pouts) Okeedo...

((shocked) You didn't just...)

(blinks) O-O;;; Oh, crud, I did it again. (snaps fingers) Damn it!! And this time on the internet, too!!

(Urg...(sweatdrops) Minna, here's the deal. She might've cheated you on the internet before, saying 'okay' like a normal person in the author's notes, but CLAMPraven's actually got a problem. She can't stop saying 'okeedo' in the place of 'okay', or 'okey dokey', especially these days. It's sort of a cross between both. Gods know why she does this. At home, when she's trying to say 'okey dokey', but doesn't want to finish the 'dokey' part, thinking it's just way too weird, she just skips it. Thus...'okeedo.' Yet another not-so-ingenious invention courtesy of your insane Nyan-Nyan. Even her parents have gotten used to it. In related news, she also sometimes says 'en', instead of 'ne' or 'eh'. That...may just be a French thing. (sweatdrops) We dunno. Today, she just decided to share this particular piece of information, though you know as well as I do that she does not like to share at all -)

(flustered) Can we END this now?! ROKU KYU could be reading this, and she doesn't want to hear all that personal crap!!

(Okeedo. (nods)) 

Good.

(...The pronunciation key is: Oh - KEE - doh. I repeat, Oh - KEE - doh. Just in case you - )

**NARRATOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

-CLAMPraven 


	41. Episode of Power' Legacy 2

**"Juri"**

**-from girl to oracle-**

**By CLAMPraven**

* * *

~ Episode of Power ~

Part 39 of the Legend of Juri - Legacy (2)

* * *

(spots you) Oh! Ohayo, minna-chan, and welcome back to the show! (toothy grin)

((blinks) She's chipper again. Must've been that lemon meringue pie that she found underneath the hospital bed that renewed her sugar rush...(shakes head disapprovingly). This can't be good for the second last chapter of 'Juri'...)

Kisama! (smacks him nonchalantly with a pitchfork) You know...the hardest thing about writing chapters like these is starting, especially after everyone has either threatened to murder you if you kill another character, or put so much expectation on your back, any start would seem lousy, and you'd kill yourself with stress. Unfortunately, these things have to be started extra early, with very little breaks, given my own deadlines. And when you know you're going to go on another killing rampage, following one of the most theatrically astounding conclusions in the history of your training as a fanfiction writer...needless to say, trying to satisfy everyone's needs is extremely HARD. And it's extremely TRYING to listen to your pleas. (grovels) I'M SORRY!! (holds up crucifix defensively) MAY THE FANFICTION COMMUNITY FORGIVE!! I HAVE TO KILL MORE!! MORE!!! AND GOD KNOWS I TRY TO CONTROL MYSELF, BUT I JUST CAN'T HELP IT!!! 

(ahem) I think the best thing to do right now, is to sit back (leans back into a pillow), relax (pulls up the laptop), and give myself a very large dose of sugary goodness. (grabs a loudspeaker from underneath the bed) SUZAKU!!! THE GUMMIES!!!

(Out of the blue, a pick-up truck backs up through the hospital room wall, carrying an assortment of gummy bears and worms, driven by Watase-sama and Suzaku. (sweatdrops) Never mind logic, sanity, and the fact that said hospital room is on the 16th floor...-_-;;) 

_Suzaku: (muttermuttermutter) (with a flick of a switch, dumps the contents of the truck into CLAMPraven's open mouth) You know, this is still a better job than working for her back at the office. I can get used to this._

_Watase-sama: __(raises eyebrow) Oh, I don't know about that, Suzaku...this is my truck, you know, and I still don't trust your driving credentials. (shudders as she remembers taking Suzaku one dark and stormy morning to downtown Tokyo for his driving test...^-^;;)_

_Suzaku: (vein pop) Well, I PARKED IT on the EDGE of the 16TH FLOOR, didn't I?!?_

(True to his word, Suzaku had parked it, by driving it - in reverse - so that it flew off the edge of Niagara Falls, using said falls as a ramp. Now it resembles a teeter totter, with one end of the truck tucked safely inside the building, and with the other end tittering over the ledge, and looking over the driveway of the hospital...which just happened to be the driver's end.)

_Watase-sama: (shakes her head, as she stares down worriedly at the trees and people below) The last time you tried parking, you uprooted the whole of CLAMP Gakuen with a Volkswagen beetle!!! CLAMPraven almost killed you!! I ALMOST LET CLAMPRAVEN KILL YOU!! (narrows eyes) Still can't figure out how you managed to do it, though._

_Suzaku: The killing part or the parking part? (wonders)_

(Meanwhile, CLAMPraven, having fully digested all of the gummies, returns to her normal self. Smiling, she wanders over to the opening in the wall, where Suzaku and Watase-sama dangled) We'll be back after this chappie. (smiles) I almost feel up to writing it now. (raises eyebrow) Now just how the hell do you two plan to get down...?

-CLAMPraven 

* * *

~Aya~

"_Ai...no...TSUNAMI!!!_"

The flaring arrow went sailing through the air, as if a solitary, racing ray of light, surrounded by the cobalt wings of an ethereal tidal wave blast...and screamed with the roar of the celestial skies as it landed...

Landed...where...?!

I squinted, trying to focus my eyes, despite the furious, burning pain in my leg that rendered me next to helpless; grasping onto every strand of hope I had within me, I concentrated, wishing desperately that it hit a weak point, wishing that Hitori's attack would cease, that I'd be free to initiate my true powers...

I knew I was stronger than this, so why couldn't I do it? Why couldn't I hurt him more? If it weren't for all of his back-up, I wouldn't have been struggling so. He deserved so much to be hurt after what he did to all of us, especially what Juri and Suzaku went through...and at the same time, I wished so much that I could feel sympathy toward him, since he wasn't really truly evil and I knew it, but gods, he could've fooled me...

_C__ome on...where did it go, where did it go?! My arrow...did it get Hitori or not?!?_

"Aya-chan...having trouble?" The bright flashes of negatives in my eyes finally gave way, to see Hitori's fist breaking apart the spell of the arrow, the tsunami smashing into a thousand shimmering pieces, only causing a bleed on his hand. And that cruel, cruel smile again... 

"So close, and by the gods...you actually aimed for my forehead this time! Now, if it was just a tad stronger, it would've hurt me more, but right now..." He licked the blood off his fingers with a sensual tongue, his every action grinding away at my defenses, "...just a scratch. I'll let you have that. I think it'll motivate you just enough for you to waste a few more arrows in your endeavor, ne?" 

"Why..." Chichiri growled, clutching his torn elbow. "Why do you have to be like this...?! Of all the things, of all the people you could be fighting right now...you choose to hurt us, chip away at the Koudoutai, and ignore your feelings for KANO?!"

My eyes flew open in shock, even at the brink of unconsciousness, and stared at Chichiri, horrified. All of Hitori's fellow Mikotos were in disbelief. 

_Only I know about Kano!! Myself, and Hitori, and perhaps Taiitsu-kun...but the rest of them had no idea!!_

And for a moment, a brief second or two...even Hitori's icy smile faltered.

"You...what are you accusing him of?" Tenryuu's eyes darted from the monk to the Tenbinza no Mikoto. "What feelings? Hitori?!"

"What's he talking about?" Even shy Haru ventured to ask. "Why is he mentioning Kano at a time like this?"

Chilling blue eyes glared into a single fiery amber eye like daggers, concentrating his threat. "Go on."

"Aya already told us. He knew, and we knew all along. And even you know he told us; that's why you came down to Konan to pursue him at all. The affair you had with Kano, and the way you tortured and deserted him...it wasn't fair to him, nor to you, nor to the rest of the Koudoutai." Chichiri's brows furrowed, his courage never doused by the danger it posed to his own life, his voice a deadly quiet, all the cheerful 'no da's gone. "You're just a cowardly snake, aren't you? You...let me ask you something. How much danger would it pose to your own life if you just changed the rules of your Magna Charta and let Juri and Suzaku be? It wouldn't be a crime. It wouldn't even make you bleed, or cry...it would reunite you with your love, and it would make a world of difference. It would stop this forsaken war, this meaningless quarrel.

"What I don't understand is why you're not doing that. Why are you not trying to make everyone happy, as it had been written as your duty? It is the easiest course of action right now, and you're not doing it. Is it because you wish for the universe to be miserable alongside you? Or perhaps your pride? Or both? It's so simple...so simple to stop this. But you just don't want to be wrong. You want to be strong, and cold, and forget about the love that left you bleeding so long ago. But that's not going to happen, is it? Not while his beauty still haunts your dreams and your subconscious. And even you can't deny it...you want him back, and you'd give your body to be with him. Wouldn't you?" 

And suddenly, I realized that Chichiri was laying down what he knew was his trump card. Salty tears came to my eyes, and they stung my wounds, but I didn't care. He'd done it. He'd really done it.

_Hitori's heart is his one weak point. Not anything else...his heart. And if anyone could thaw out such a malicious, nefarious heart, it was Chichiri. Clever, honorable Chichiri...always remembering the hard facts and strategizing in his mind, to plot out how, step by step, he would achieve any known goal. Wise Chichiri...so wise, even without his seishi power, he could be at the brink of death, and still pull from his magical hat a miracle._

_But..._

_To thaw out Hitori's emotions was to let them loose on their rampage. To let them run amok. His love may make him weep, but his anger would make him kill. All at the same time. And he..._

My eyes widened in horror, as I stared at the monk beside me. With him injured so, I realized with sudden panic that he was most vulnerable now, standing eye-to-eye with Hitori, and I was just as crippled as he, unable to stop it if any of the Mikotos tried to -

"NO!!!" The scream tore out of me, as I lunged forward to stop Chichiri, only to fall back on my weak leg. My voice was desperate, my eyes pleading, though he was out of reach. "Stop it!!! Stop it right now; you're going to get yourself killed!! I CAN'T LET YOU DIE!!!"

But he only smiled calmly in my direction, reassuring me.

Smiled. 

I hated it.

"You can't possibly die!! Juri needs all of the forces she has!!" I pleaded, my voice breaking. "You...you can't..."

Meanwhile, Shishigo turned to Hitori worriedly. "What he said...about Kano..."

"He can't prove," Hitori finished. "Let it be. And on that note," he sighed tiredly, "I think I've had enough with this charade. You two have my permission to kill him, if you want."

And though he said so blithely, and his wicked smile returned, hiding his truth like an impenetrable carapace, he couldn't hide his eyes from me, even though I was losing sight. They bled tears from every bloodshot vein, rivers of denial. He couldn't hide it. I couldn't ignore it. His heart had been opened up through an old wound, and all because of the seishi beside me.

_Chichiri had freed Hitori's emotions. Now, the Mikotos are going to make him pay with his life, and I can't do anything...!!!_

_I...I'm useless...completely, utterly useless...he's going to die now, he's going to die..._

_He's going to die..._

Sobbing, I covered my face with my bloodied hands, and cried, hoping that it would shield our enemies from seeing how weak I was. I couldn't hold it in anymore...he wasn't going to live to see Juri's victory, and I knew it; I knew it all too well, that there was nothing I could do to save him...

Chichiri...

_How could...one man...sacrifice so much...and still be destroyed by us? By us, us Mikotos who don't know the meaning of suffering?! It wasn't right...Chichiri had lost so much...his love, his friends, and now it ends with his life, and still he remains strong, death the last thing on his mind!! How could he be so valiant, so reckless...?!_

_How could I fight alongside him, and watch him die, without being able to help him?! How could I be such a monster?!?_

A hand touched my shoulder. 

"It's not the end, no da," I could hear Chichiri's warm, gentle voice say. "For even as we die, we leave the world with better things...and each of us are essential to building the legacy. Even you, Aya, na no da. You haven't done anything wrong, no da."

"Chichiri..." I stared up at him, my face smeared with blood and tears, my hair in bleak strands of violet. Even wounded, he looked like an avenging angel, the fiery light of a fighter in his lone eye. And though I could barely feel the warmth of his caress on my shoulder, I knew that the light...

It was the light of heaven...

"We all build the legacy, no da. We all become stars in a single sky...and with us overlooking her path, shining our light down upon her silhouette, even in the darkest nights...Juri will not lose, no da. 

"She will not lose..."

And suddenly, that light in his forlorn eye was crushed.

I was blinded by tears, but I felt everything. I felt Chichiri's body weighing down upon me, falling upon me. I felt the shock pounding down upon my heart as I realized his pulse was dead. I felt the burn, the burn of the wound in his back, the wound that Shishigo had inflicted upon his body in a single blast. 

I felt waves of sound...the sound of myself screaming hoarse, the sound of teardrops falling upon a lifeless back, the sound of Hitori's malicious laugh...and amidst the sounds of agony and heartless menace, I knew I heard Chichiri's voice.

_"We all build the legacy..."_

"Yes, we do..." It was all I could do to answer that voice, to stroke Chichiri's lifeless back, to run my trembling fingers through his hair, and clutch his body as I clutched dearly onto my sanity. The Mikotos were watching me, but I didn't care. I could feel that I was losing it, as my whole body shook with the chilling thought that I had lost one of us, my eyes wild with terror. "Yes. Yes...we all build the legacy, Chichiri. You and me and Juri...we won't lose. We won't lose, we won't lose and I won't let us lose, I'll fight it, Chichiri, I'll fight it..." 

I was overtaken by hysteria. Tears streamed down my face. I'd lost the one person, the friend I never knew I had until this moment, who thought I could overcome...

"Well, well. It's sad, isn't it? But I'm guessing that with your friend dead, you'll gladly let us through. It was a shame that he died. Do stop hugging his lifeless body like that, Aya, you'll ruin yourself that way. If it were me, I'd forget all about this little incident. Especially since a thought just came to me...with you not resisting so much, I could finally banish you, just like I did Suzaku, and Byakko, and Kano...yes?"

I didn't even have to see to know who that voice was. My frail fingers letting go of Chichiri's corpse, I stared with unseeing eyes at the one who stood by, all the more happy at our pain...

In that split second, I was overcome by rage. Rage at Chichiri's selfless acts, rage at my own inability to do anything...but on top of it all, rage at the one person who did this to all of us.

"_YOU BASTARD!!!! _YOU LYING, DECEIVING BASTARD!!!" In a single moment, I had found myself obeying my every instinct, losing all of my stature as a proud Mikoto, and pummeling blindly at Hitori with a savage ferocity I never knew I had. "I WISH YOU'D DIE!!! I WISH YOU'D KNOW HOW KANO FELT, HAVING HIS HEART CHEWED UP AND SPAT BACK OUT WITHOUT _A_ _SINGLE PINT OF REMORSE!!! _I WISH YOU'D KNOW HOW I FEEL!! YOU KILLED THE LAST PERSON I HAD!!!!" Tears streamed out of my eyes, as I struck. Harder and harder and harder... "YOU WON'T CHANGE!! YOU CAN'T CHANGE!! _I WISH JURI WOULD DESTROY YOU!!!_"

I felt Hitori's hand moving, aiming his mace at me. "Don't get too far ahead of yourself with that silly tantrum, Aya. You might like it as a human."

The light shone a deadly glare, as I struck him one last time. The last thing I felt...? 

_Falling..._

-

~Kano~

Aya. Chichiri. CLAMPraven. Tasuki.

Little by little they were all being plucked out of this cruel game. As I sensed their life forces disappearing, my own sadness started to disperse, making way for an anger I hadn't felt in years...

"Why...can't...he...stop?!"

Everything depended on Hitori stopping.

He couldn't be killed. Even though Juri didn't realize it right now, destroying Hitori would plunge the world into an era of chaos and mass destruction. He was the most powerful Mikoto...lord of justice. It wasn't just a title. Justice in the Universe of the Four Gods all depended upon Hitori being alive...his life was the pillar that held up peace and order, just as my life was the pillar that held up freedom and exploration...it still is, for though I no longer have status, I still had my life. 

If Hitori was destroyed...his Magna Charta would disappear. Then Juri and Suzaku's hope for love would be gone forever. The only way for them to be allowed their relationship was for them to change the holy reference. And that...was something even Taiitsu-kun had a hard time allowing. But it could only be changed while Hitori was alive, by Hitori's hand, with Hitori's free will. Otherwise, it would not come to pass.

It was far more difficult than meets the eye, and even meets the eye is utter destruction. Everyone was dying, and no one could stop the Tenbinza no Mikoto and his minions, let alone make Hitori change his mind. Not even Chichiri...and he died just by mentioning my name.

It was far from over. Now...not only was Aya out of the heavens, but he couldn't return, and Hitori, having gotten past both him and the monk, was now free to access any part of Castle Judith...Juri's minions were in danger!

* * *

_As Miaka and Tamahome were both obliged to go to Hotohori's funeral ceremony, neither one was there to see Aya's body enveloped in a golden light, plunging down to the imperial gardens. As he fell, his drop was sufficiently slowed down by Hitori's energy, and the Tenbinza no Mikoto was gracious enough, even in all his anger, to leave Aya's unconscious, bleeding body snuggled in the damp trilliums and orchids, where it was spotted by one of the servants immediately after. A doctor was rushed forward to tend to his wounds, and even at the moment, they awaited the end of the procession, to report the bad news to the Miko and seishi. _

_Aya was alive. Barely hanging on by a thread, but alive nonetheless. Hitori let him live...now that the Mikoto had no other chance to interfere with the cosmic battle, he was no longer a dire concern._

_Meanwhile..._

* * *

~Seiki~

Sighing in relief, I watched as the last of the three Mikotos I was fighting drifted down to the floor, his body limp and his mind elsewhere. Now all of them were of no danger to me.

I had removed their conscious senses from their bodies, a detachment that would otherwise have been fatal, had the connection not been severed carefully. A difficult procedure...considering they were all moving so rapidly as I was trying to initiate the attack. Now they were drifting, like bodies without souls, while their conscious senses were transported back to my realm...inside Castle Siren.

What I'd done to the three Mikotos was a spell I had...'_Eien no Yume_'...they were now in a state not unlike dreaming, save for the fact that they could possibly be rendered to this forever. But at least I'd removed them from the war, and now they were of no concern of mine, until Juri successfully defeats Hitori. It was just as the Tenbinza no Mikoto's banishment spell, except that his was far more severe. Even so, it took a lot out of me... 

Hissing in a sudden jolt of pain from my arm, where Setsuna had slashed it before, I reached for a pocket inside my cloak, where I found a small flask of transparent liquid. Taking the opportunity, I opened the container and speared the liquid over my arm and the other wounds on my leg, trying hard not to cry out in pain. It stung...badly. I always took that flask with me...it contained a special liquid, a mixture of alcohols, pain inducers, and other magical ingredients that didn't heal the wound, but made it numb so that I could continue fighting. 

_/Better numb and unfeeling than painful, I should think. Any aching of the body would disrupt my concentration, that I need for my real powers. I was one who fought best when calm...and they could sever my limbs for all I care, but they can't take away my head, my mind...my power source._

My senses clicked, as I felt a foreign ki.

_/Hitori.../_

Lowering my weapon, I stared down at the corridor. Through the rhinestone halls drifted Hitori and the three other Mikotos, looking smug as usual. I knew why...I'd sensed it only a few moments ago.

_/Banished Aya and sent Chichiri to hell, did you...? I felt it in my bones. Psychotic beast.../_

"Not in the mood for any games right now, Seiki-chan." I could tell by the suffixes alone that he was once again on an insane rampage. "You must be tired. That serum you've concocted is useless right now, considering I'm going to banish you anyway in just a matter of time." He smiled. "Wouldn't you rather come down?"

"Cutting to the chase, now, are we, no da?" I mused, as I felt the painkiller effect on all parts of my body. Every nerve was becoming numb in a matter of seconds...the serum was almost instant. "That's not like you, Hitori. Then again, I can work with that, na no da."

Though my voice was as unreadable as it ever was, Hitori could sense my fear. Even after his battles, and one banishment, he could still fight at maximum capacity. I couldn't...sending three Mikotos into a state of dreaming already had taken its toll on my body. I felt as though I couldn't sever another consciousness from its body...it was my primary defense.

Even through my tranquil barrier, I feared for Juri's minions. 

_/What would be the next action...? Should I have to stoop as low as to sacrifice myself with one last burst of energy, as CLAMPraven had? Allow Hitori to banish me, as Aya had?_

I examined the doorway. Hitori felt my eyes drifting away, and he laughed; he knew I could see his ploy.

"Only one hallway to the grand set of rooms where Juri's minions lie, ne, Seiki-chan? Ahh...how simple. All we four have to do is to cross over to the other side, and we'd be done with it. Of course, you won't let us do that, would you, Seiki-chan?"

While the sinister Mikoto chatted on casually, little Haru stepped nervously forward, his hands outstretched. Soon, a gleaming ray of ki formed in his hands, in the shape of a glistening, deadly web. Its many threads looped around his slender fingers, each as thin as a wire. Stretching his arms wide, the web also became larger and larger...

I recognized what it was immediately. 

_/The seeker...!! The magic spider web.../_

Haru's emerald eyes were shut tightly, as beads of sweat dotted his forehead...even from my distance up, I could tell he didn't want to do what he was doing. Meanwhile, Hitori carried on...

"Haru's '_mahou doku amimono_' can find anything he demands it to find, and disintegrate it, as well as all that is in its path, with a deadly toxin. She'll send it down through the halls, and she'll have it search for the nearest minions of Juri...whether that be her friends or herself. So you see...they little hiding tactic is pointless, really.

"Now, I can see that you are exhausted," He glanced at my wounds from fighting the other Mikotos. "You cannot block the web from flying just by canceling it out with one of your own spells...it is much too strong for that, and you are completely useless. The only way for you to stop it is to come down here, and block it with your own body. But when you do, I'll simply banish you before the web could catch you. On the other hand, if you don't come down, I'll simply let the web go, and you can pray your hardest that it doesn't catch Juri-chan. Ne?"

I could feel my heart skipping a beat. He was right...with the web aimed in the direction of the hall, Juri was a potential victim. And I was the only one who could stop it, even if it means my getting banished. /_Juri.../_

I shook my head furiously.

_/I can't risk the doku amimono destroying any of our minions, but I.../_

_/I can't risk being banished!!! They need me...I'm their strongest, next to Juri herself, and I can't leave...I just can't!! Otherwise, the consequence may be greater than I fear...I have to hope that our leader isn't the victim of the attack.../_

I felt around with my senses, reaching into the depths of the rooms. Slowly, I began to calculate.

It was as I thought...Juri wasn't in danger. Instead, Taikou and Enri were the nearest, along with the Futagaza counterpart Suzano. Suzaku, Juri, and Akira were further away, and with an effort, I could even feel what seemed to be Irasa and Byakko beyond that...if anything, the attack would kill the Koudoutai monks first...one of them, or both...they'd die. It was a terrible shame...both had fought so hard for our cause, but...

_/But it's not Juri who's dying. It's not Juri. It's alright if it's not Juri.../_

But just when I thought I'd made my decision, I found myself looking into Hitori's devilish eyes, and I suddenly felt ashamed of myself. Tears sprung to my eyes for the first time in years, and I found myself crying, even though none could see behind the shadow of my cloak.

I found myself reconsidering...

_/No./_

_/It's not alright. It's not.../_

_/Hitori...he'd banish me anyway...even if I don't take his bait, I'll get killed anyway. And Taikou and Enri are far too young to die...their lives are just as important as my own./_

_/What was I thinking?!/_

_/I can't kill Hitori now, but I can try. I can try...!!!/_

Anger erupted from my heart at my selfishness, as I wiped away my tears...and the heat of the flames concocted in the palm of my hand...

_/I'm sorry. It's just not worth being banished for.../_

"I'D RATHER DIE!!!" I found myself screaming, my voice hoarse, and in a last desperate attempt at destroying Haru's web spell, I flung my weapon, the trident, as far as it would go, infused with all the strength I had left...focusing the pinpoint of my energy directly at the spear points of the object, I closed my eyes, concentrating...concentrating...

_/This just has to be enough...!!!!!!!!!/_

Everything happened very quickly after that...

Voices...Haru's piercing scream, creating the enchantment, letting go of the accursed web from her fingers, and the silvery shadow flew through the halls, to destroy the Koudoutai monks...the voices of the three other Mikotos in confusion as the trident blasted their way, emitting blue-gray fumes of exploding fury...my own screams, echoing off the wall...Hitori's maniacal laugh as he took the initiative, pointing his mace straight at me...

A shimmering golden light...

-

_Only a few seconds after that..._

_-_

~Haru~

"H-He's gone, too..." I stared at the place where Seiki used to be, my whole body trembling with terror. "I can't believe it..."

"Believe it," Hitori advised me, chuckling as he glanced at my hands. "I'm impressed, Haru...for such a non-violent type, I didn't actually think you would've let go of the web. Ah...I guess the right motivation was all you needed, ne? Now thanks to you, some unlucky bastard is dying because of your spell down the hall, and I do hope dearly that it's Juri," he smirked. "What an interesting turn of events."

"It's amazing...Seiki never screamed so harshly in his life before," Remarked an astounded Tenryuu, as he lifted up the trident, still unharmed. "I'd always thought of him as the sort to face all perils with silence; I suppose he felt truly strongly about it this time."

"Yeah," Replied Shishigo, picking himself up shakily. The last of the smoke from the explosions had now dispersed. "Can we go see who's been killed yet?"

-

~Kano~

Feeling around in the dark with my senses, I had yet to determine who'd fallen pray to Haru's spell.

"Please don't let it be Enri or Taikou...please..."

But I knew it had to kill someone. And that someone couldn't have been anyone other than the monks. Both of them...they were always together, holding hands lovingly and whatnot. But bodily contact poisoned the other person along with. 

"It's sick...sick...!!!"

Love always seemed to end this way on starless nights...

* * *

_It was soon after, when the doctor from Hotohori's palace finished up with treating Aya's wounds, that his assistant spotted yet another body lying on the steps. When he took the body to a second doctor, they were surprised to find an alcohol serum on all of the tiny man's gashes, which they eventually found out, was a painkilling liquid._

_By this time, Tamahome and Miaka still hadn't returned from the ceremony, and therefore didn't find out what had occurred. The doctors and nurses were frantic, and wondered what they should do with their strange, unconscious patients, though some had recalled seeing Aya inside the palace before._

_Inside Castle Judith, Taikou and Enri were greeted with a horrifying surprise, as the web took hold of the white-haired monk. Despite Suzano's desperate protests, however, Taikou refused to let his partner go... _

* * *

~Taikou~

"Don't be foolish!!!" Suzano screamed, now more desperate than before. "You have to let go of his hands!! That web is Haru's - no, the Kaniza no Mikoto's '_mahou doku amimono_', you fool!! It'll kill you instantly if you don't let go!!"

"I CAN'T!!" I cried, clutching onto my lover's hands. "You don't understand how important it is that Enri survives this!! What he means to me!!"

It all happened so fast...once second, we were moving stealthily along, fearing every creak and moan in the shadows of these unused rooms were the sounds of the Mikotos pursuing us. Then, out of nowhere, with no warning whatsoever, a silver web descended upon our heads, my head...and in an instant of fright, I knew the devil's claws were upon us, and the web was going to hunt me down...

But Enri saved me. 

At that moment of horror, I felt myself being pushed aside by familiar hands, and I knew Enri had taken my place in the path of danger. The web had spun itself around him, and toxic fumes sprung up from every thread of the web. Helpless, we could only watch...

He was being eaten alive by the poisons. His skin, so fair and soft before, was turning a grotesque shade of violet and green, and even the threads of his once beautiful, long snowy hair were starting to rot away; his fingers that were so gentle were now covered by the venomous substance that the web shot out, and the skin was now peeling, in patches of blue and leaking dark blood from cuts and torn shreds. His full lips had shrunk, stained by the blood and toxins he'd coughed up. The venom had reduced him to a shriveling skeleton, becoming weaker and weaker by the second...

He never looked more horrible, like a corpse of the dead, his eyes barely opened in their narrow slits as everything else was devoured by the sickly fumes. All of the silky threads covered his body, so that he couldn't even move, or escape from the contaminated air he breathed...they filled him up with poisons I couldn't even name, for they weren't of the Universe of the Four Gods...

Even his violet eyes lost their gorgeous mystique, and were rendered to a dim glow, so sad they drew angry tears to my eyes. 

I couldn't love him less because of it. I found myself hanging onto his feeble hands, and praying with all my heart that he'd escape the binds, that I could somehow help him escape by just being there next to him. The whole situation happened so fast, I didn't even have time to think...but instinctively, I knew I had to stay next to my partner, my lover.

Tears trickled down my cheeks, as I squeezed his hands tighter, ignoring the blood stains that it left on my own.

_I promised him eternity...eternity!! I refuse to go back on my word. Not when it's Enri who is in peril. Gods...please have the mercy inside you, and do something!!! Anything to save him...!!_

Suzano was furious at this.

"TAIKOU!! Don't touch his infected wounds!! They'll kill you, too, if you don't get away from him!!" He was pleading now, his eyes watery. "Don't do this to us!! You can't possibly do anything to stop the effects of the web...no one could!! Soon his body will be disintegrated by the poisons, and...oh, no you have the blood on your hands, too...!! Taikou!! LISTEN TO ME!!"

But I couldn't listen...I couldn't, I couldn't...

Even when I felt the irritation of my nose, the fumes of toxins starting to travel through my senses...I couldn't stop. Even when I had to stifle a cough, and when I felt my painful throat tightening from an invisible grip, I couldn't let him leave me.

All I could do was stare into Enri's eyes, their light feeble and dying, and it was all over. All it took was one stare into that face, even though it hurt to see him in so much agony that he could barely talk...I knew that I couldn't let him go...not without me.

"Enri...I'm not going to leave you," I whispered, feeling tears come to my eyes. Not tears of sadness, now...tears of pain. Something was traveling through me, through my system, at a rate I never knew was possible. It was the toxin that Enri had inhaled, and now I had breathed it in as well, the price of standing so close to him... 

I could feel it in my bones, in my stomach...it was as though claws were pinching my lungs with their razor sharp claws, waiting to draw blood from me, and to feed on it. It vigorously pounded away at my heart, making me feel as though jabbing splinters pierced through my gut...I forced out another stream of coughs, and still held on, even as it traveled through my blood, slowly clogging away at my arteries, sizzling like wildfire on my skin...

Blinking slowly inside the bounds of the web, Enri seemed to see my suffering. He tried to move, and I felt a muscle jolt in his fingers...I could even see his lips moving, although the only sound to come out was a hollow effort, causing him to spasm, his body wriggling painfully, more dark liquid spilling from his tongue. Desperate, I held onto him, only to have him struggle further...

I knew he was trying to tell me to go away, to save myself. He was probably cursing at me in his head, trying so hard to tell me what an idiot I was being. Taikou the pink-oriented monk, who didn't know how to do anything right.

_No...I shouldn't hold on. _I smiled softly, covering up a wince of pain. The effects of the poisons was shooting out at every bone, lashing out at my lungs, and I found it hard to breathe... _No, I shouldn't...but I love you. And I know you'd only do the same, Enri. As much as you try. As much as I try. You and I both know we live together and die together...it was an unspoken pact that destiny made between us, and as much as we struggle, we can't escape one another. We were meant to spend myriad lives and the happiness of ages...this feeling...Juri would understand._

"Taikou..." Suzano watched helplessly as my own skin began to turn the same hue as Enri's...green and purple patches of infected skin. Blood was seeping out of my veins everywhere, and my skin started to crinkle up, as if it were shedding. Everywhere...it started to hurt. It hurt, so badly, when I tried to breathe...as if there was a barrier in the vocal cords, and I was trying to break it every time I inhaled. 

I could feel the Futagaza twin's critical gaze, as though he understood, but wasn't sure he could take watching any more. He'd live...he'd live through this.

My vision was starting to swim...soon, Enri's eyes were but vague, trembling clouds of amethyst. Gasping for air, I knew it was the last breath I would feel, and I lay my head down next to my love's, satisfied that we'd fought so hard, and cherishing the end...

I heard Enri's heart stop next to mine. He'd gone, and I knew I'd follow.

_One...last...breath...and then I'll see you again, Enri...and hopefully, by that time, Juri would have finished the task we'd all worked so hard to achieve, the freedom of love..._

And as the last of my consciousness faded away, I heard voices...

"Taikou!! TAIKOU!!"

Quiet sobbing...

"Hello, Suzano-chan. It is Suzano, not Akira, I presume? Well, it looks as if the spider web trick worked after all." A chuckle. "Banishing you alone would be easier than banishing both you and your twin, though it would get rid of both of you..."

"HITORI!!!"

There was one last flash of light. I couldn't tell if it was the light of Hitori's mace or the light of heaven, for the last breath had finally worn itself thin, and I fell into the void of eternal sleep without another regret...

_Aishiteru yo, Motohaku Enri..._

* * *

_And with that, it would seem that nearly all hope had vanished. Hitori, struck mute by Chichiri's harsh words of Kano, stormed through the castle with feral vigor hidden behind his china smile. On a rampage, he headed towards Juri's energy, the last of the group, even as she and Suzaku entered a room in the castle so sacred, it could not be defied._

_The last phase of the battle commences...here!!_

* * *

~Jenny~

"A shrine...?"

Holy light streamed forth through the crystalline stained glass windows, celestial splendor in emerald, ruby, and lapis lazuli, a sight almost unearthly by comparison to the ordinary.

"What is this place?"

Rows of brass and sparkling gold columns towered to the ceiling, while ancient statues of precious jade and garnet adorned the altar. Incense of all aromas and colors were collected and stored inside vases engraved in ancient Chinese incantations...my nose picked up on something that smelled of frankincense, and balsam. Statues of phoenixes, unicorns and long-necked exotic reptiles - I could've sworn one especially hideous one was a basilisk - towered around the main stand, in silver, rhinestone, and diamond, their eyes alight, as though they begged for attention.

"Look! Over there...is that a symbol?"

But as glorious as all these treasures were, the main attraction in the whole room stood atop the altar, surrounded by entangled poplar and oak branches. It seemed nothing special...made of common tin, and ancient...but somehow, it seemed to alight our eyes...

I stepped forward immediately from the entrance, across the warm marble floors of this angelic seclusion, to gaze upon it. Slowly, hesitantly, I reached out beyond the delicate 'nest' the symbol was held in, fearing that it would shock me if I touched it. Somehow, though, my senses told me otherwise, and while Suzaku and Akira looked on anxiously, I ran my fingers over its delicate surface. 

It must be antique...!! And it looks familiar somehow!! But how...?

"Suzaku, Akira! You have to see this; it looks familiar, but I can't quite put my finger on it!" I held out the metallic symbol in both my hands, letting the death lantern sit on the altar. It was a bit heavy, and bigger than my weapon...it was strange, but I could've sworn it was radiating a foreign energy, something kind and serene, as if it were alive with ki. The symbol was in the shape of a slanted arrow, with a straight notch in between. On its surface was engraved a silver equilateral triangle, glistening in the sunlight.

Suzaku stared at it, confused. "What does it mean?" 

"You guys..." Akira stepped up to the platform as well, fingering the object. His eyes lit up with startled recognition, as we watched him, waiting anxiously. "This...this is Kano's symbol!! The symbol for Iteza, or Sagittarius...and the triangle...three points! That's the sign for Jupiter, which rules over the Iteza's stars! Any such engraved signature has immense power!"

His eyes darted quickly around the room. "Iteza...Iteza...everything down to the tin that the symbol's made of to the frankincense that it's surrounded by, the poplar and oak that its sits on, represents Akigo Kano!!"

Everything represents him? All this was his...?

"Akigo Kano?" I considered this for a moment, gazing around. Everything seemed to be thousands of years old inside this incredible sanctuary, but fingerprints dotted the statues, as I looked closely...their smudges meant that someone had been here recently. I narrowed my eyes at the symbol. "Could this be a memorial dedicated to him? Aya must've set this up; he was friends with Kano, after all, so maybe..."

Maybe Aya kept everything left of Kano here. A sanctuary so deep in the maze of Castle Judith, no one would find it except himself...

But wasn't a shrine for praying to someone? Could Aya possibly have prayed to Kano, somehow? And did that symbol have anything to do with this? Or perhaps...everything?

Suddenly, one gloved hand reached up to his heart, and Akira doubled over with pain!!

"Akira!!!" I screamed, letting go of the heavy symbol and reached out to catch the Futagaza twin's body, while Suzaku stared on in fear, unsure of what to do. The tin object hit the floor with a frightening clatter.

The Mikoto counterpart was wheezing and choking horribly, and it hurt even to listen to him. His face was contorted with a frightening anguish, his limp weight in my arms trembling with spasms as he whimpered. Grasping his body tightly, my mind spinning with confusion, I couldn't imagine what had just happened... "Akira!! What's wrong?"

Then I remembered.

_"We'll take Akira, and you take Suzano. If anything happens to one of the twins, the other would feel his brother's pain, and we'd know when either one of us are in danger, alright?"_

_"...I hope you're right. There's so many things that can go wrong when we're separated, Juri; each of us are only at half power without the other near by, after all..."_

Something must've happened to Suzano. Otherwise, this wouldn't be happening.

Suzano...Taikou and Enri!! Could it be that Hitori's already reached them?!?

"Suzano..." Akira uttered with a hushed, frightened voice, between panting. The twin's pupils were dilated, as he watched a scene that wasn't there. His single word confirmed all my fears, yet he went on regardless, as he stared out into space. "...He's been knocked down by Hitori; he's going to be banished if he doesn't - " 

And in an instant, his body lit up with an insanely harsh light, a golden flare, so strong it threw me backwards, dropping his body with a yelp of shock. My back collided with the altar with a BANG!! as Akira's desperate screams tore from his body and ripped through the air, feeling the pain that his counterpart felt at that exact moment.

When I lifted my head a second later, he was already gone.

"Juri! Are you alright?" Suzaku rushed to my side immediately. But I only stared forward. As the sun's rays cast down long shadows on the walls, I could only see the spot where the Futagaza's twin used to be. 

Empty.

Struggling back up, with wild, frantic eyes, I crawled to the spot, and felt the marble floor with my hands. It should've been warm, but was freezing cold to the touch. I felt my spirit sink; the mystery and beauty of the shrine was lost. 

"If Suzano's lost," I whispered, my eyes downcast and my heart racing in fear, "who else has gone?! Could they have possibly gotten past Aya and CLAMPraven? Gotten past Seiki?"

I heard quiet footsteps behind me, and a hand settle on my shoulder. It could've only been one person.

But it didn't heal me as it should've done. It only made the pain worsen, because I knew he was not the same cunning, caring Suzaku that once stood by me and helped me walk down a path of love and wisdom. He was not the god...just a child who didn't know one thing from another, a child who, despite his innocence, hurt me more than the malicious words of Hitori. He just wasn't the same man I'd loved before...not even the same soul. 

Still, it had to have been inside him, right? He had to be the Suzaku who loved me once. He had to...

I stared expressionlessly into those scarlet eyes, those wide eyes that gazed at the ground, then back at me, questioning desperately where Akira had gone. They stung into mine, and they made me lose all of the words I could've said. He couldn't understand the truth. That even though he tried so hard, he could never fill that emptiness, being so innocent. He wasn't what I needed. 

And it scared me because this was what our friends were fighting to the death for, someone who didn't exist anymore!! Was it even worth their lives...? We'd struggled so far, to preserve our fair love, but when that love is a thing of the past, could I be so selfish as to let them rush into battles with good intentions we didn't deserve? 

Now that Suzaku wasn't the way he used to be?

I was so strong before, so strong...but now, I just didn't know. I'd dragged everyone so far into this charade now that I wasn't even sure if they were still alive. One little love...was it worth it? 

It scared me, the prospect that Suzaku's memory loss had made our every effort against Hitori just a waste of time. If he wasn't even there to return my love, it seemed almost a waste of time, struggling against supreme forces of the universe, or as Hitori would say, the 'Lord of Justice'.

My own thoughts scared me. My own lover scared me.

"You scare me."

I almost slammed my jaw broken when I realized I'd said that out loud, and with frightened eyes, I removed Suzaku's hand from my shoulder, and turned my face away, shocked that I'd been so stupid. An uncomfortable silence followed. 

"It's good to know I'm not the only one, then."

Blinking in stunned surprise, I turned my eyes to him, but he was, like I had been, facing the other direction. His elbows were drooping, his posture slightly awkward...I could tell that he was sadder than usual, even though I didn't see his face. 

He's not the only one? Did I scare him? But how?

...Oh, gods...

I was speechless. I couldn't think of why I didn't realize it before, how I could've been so negligent of Suzaku's feelings.

He may not have been the Suzaku I knew once before, but he was still human!! He wanted his memories back as much as I did, if not more, and he wanted to be what he was supposed to. Without his personality, he was but a doll, and he wanted so badly to overcome it...! 

He didn't have powers. He couldn't regain everything. He couldn't even if he tried. But since I was the only one who cared for him, and helped him recover, he naturally assumed, as a childish instinct, that I was like the motherly figure who would wait on him with a kind smile until he could learn to walk again. And yet I now considered giving over to Hitori, as though he was useless to me, as though I never cared, and that all along, I was just deceiving him.

I'd hurt him more than any wound could. I'd almost given up on him...!!

He does understand love, although he doesn't know it by name. All this time, he'd loved me. It was like the first time...except now he might never forgive me...! How could I risk his feelings this way?!

I could feel tears clinging to my eyelashes, could feel my heart beating guiltily.

I'm terrible...

Just then, the entrance to the shrine slammed open. In the doorway stood the one we'd waited for all along.

-

Hitori was silent as he graced the shrine, floating lightly over the marble floor, his eyes boring holes into every antique statue, every item of significance...in particular, the tin symbol we'd seen earlier, lying haphazardly at the base of the altar. His three other Mikotos, whom we didn't know by name, waited at the doorway.

Upon seeing him, a squeak escaped Suzaku's throat. Both of us got up from our sitting immediately, and I reached for my lantern, ready to fight the battle of my life.

But Hitori didn't seem up to it. His eyes shone an ethereal light; he seemed as though entranced by the statues. 

I was stunned by this behavior for a short while, but then reminded myself fiercely that he was in love with Kano once. He couldn't have completely ignored the symbolism, that directed him to the one he'd banished so long ago. Everything in this shrine must've brought his memories back to him. Why, even the statues of unicorns and phoenixes must've been Kano's favorites, and Hitori must've known this more than well enough, for his eyes lit up in recognition as he saw them.

Finally, he regained his voice. "Well. When he left, I didn't know Aya-chan kept all this drivel."

"You liar!" I spat, and before I knew what I was doing, I found myself walking up to the Mikoto (it startled me a bit, at first, for I was so much taller than him in my new, older body), and staring directly into his eyes as I said things I'd never even dreamed of saying to his face before. 

"Cowardly swine...of all things beautiful, Kano must've been the most stunning one, and you dare to deny this while staring me in the eye? How else would he catch your cruel, sadistic interest? It must've been some allure that drew you to him, like a wolf to an innocent lamb. He must've been stunning...and destined for doom as soon as he laid eyes upon you. You treated him as you'd treated an animal. A dumb, good-for-nothing animal!!"

His eyes lost their light; Hitori was wide awake now.

"There's that talk of Kano again...!" I heard one of his Mikotos whisper behind him, who looked exactly like Chiriko. He spoke to another Mikoto, who resembled Tomite. "Could it possibly be true, if they all are pinning the same crime on Hitori? After all, it's the same accusation Chichiri had made right before you killed him..."

"That's impossible!" The other one retorted, folding his arms. "They're all lying. He's the Mikoto of Justice; he'll never look at another man like that! And besides, the crime they're trying to put on him would earn him a dungeon of Taiitsu-kun's! No way!"

My eyes widened in terror.

"What...did you say..." I had stepped past Hitori, and was approaching the Chiriko-like Mikoto with trembling lips, "...about Chichiri?!" I turned to the Mikoto he was talking to. "You...killed...Chichiri?!"

Before they could answer, an even smaller one stepped up to me, bearing the girlish traits of the Suzaku no Miko herself. "Don't blame them!!" He pleaded. "We only do the things we do because Hitori forced us to, not because we like killing!"

I could no longer conceal my anger. The tears flowed freely now, from my eyes, and the Miaka-like Mikoto shrunk back in fright, afraid of what I was capable of, now that I was a full oracle.

They got Chichiri, too...how could anyone kill Chichiri?! HOW?!? He was like a father to us...!! It's impossible...impossible!!

But it's not impossible, is it...? We were supposed to be prepared for death. I guess we'd always thought that we'd miraculously all survive the war, though that is not to be, and now we find out far too late that the fantasy isn't real...but Chichir! I'd always thought that he, of all people...

Oh...dear, cruel gods of heaven...

Memories of icy cold snow and frost eating away at my skin returned, as I recalled the fateful storm after the avalanche, when I took a few lone backup to save the eldest seishi. I remembered how it felt, when I saw him tumble off his horse and disappear from sight, even though the rest of us were saved. When I'd come up with my plan, I remembered that Tasuki screamed at me for trying to give all of us false hope, even though Nuriko believed in me with all his heart. And when Chichiri was finally pulled out of the snow, I could only remember how relieved we were, and the serenity in our hearts as we rode off back to the cabin. I never thought I'd have to worry about the wise blue-haired monk's safety so much ever again.

I was frightened that my plan wouldn't work that time. But now it was sheer terror, amounting only to sorrow and a burning rage in my heart. Even staring at the one Mikoto trying to defend the actions of his friends, I couldn't find the pity I was searching for, beyond the hurricane of murderous fury. 

Chichiri, Taikou, Enri, Suzano and Akira...who else could there be?!

"How...many...more...?!" I found myself hissing in a dangerously low tone of voice, my eyes blurry with pain.

The small girly figure winced, and I felt my hopes sink into ashes. In response, she held up her hand, and I saw, to my amazement, silver butterflies emerging, poking through from underneath her skin. They didn't seem to hurt him at all, and rather than eyeing the creatures as anything out of the ordinary, he held them up to the ceiling, and as they flew out from his palm, I could hear him murmuring a secret spell...

"_Hakugin Kochou, spread and search! Retrieve the candles of death and bring them to her hands!_"

Instantly, the butterflies shot out of the room.

"They'll be back in a moment," the Mikoto turned to me. "I'm sorry we had to kill so many, but it wasn't of our own volition...you understand." He added softly.

It took me a while to find my voice. 

...What...?!

'I'm sorry we had to kill so many'...?! What kind of apology was this?!?

"No...no, I don't understand. You...there were _six _of you. _Six._" I glared down at him in disbelief. "You knew...they were innocent...and you slaughtered them all as if Hitori was the only truth. You didn't even bother to listen to us before you struck us down. Why? How could you be so blind?! HOW COULD YOU NOT REBEL?!? You're the guardians of the Universe of the Four Gods!! What happened to your duties?!" I screamed, tears streaming down my face. "You're supposed to help this world persevere, and yet you let him use you. HOW COULD YOU SAY SORRY AFTER YOU BETRAYED EVERYTHING THE KOUDOUTAI STOOD FOR?!?"

"WE BETRAYED NOTHING!!!" 

The blow came down upon my back as hard as thunder, and with a cry of pain, I found myself sliding across the floor, my kimono stained in blood and torn savagely down the middle, where it hit. My lantern's metallic base collided with the marble and scraped along, making sparks fly in every direction. When I lifted my head, I saw that it was the Tomite-like Mikoto who had injured me, standing in front of the others, as if protecting them.

"We're not willing...to turn our backs on Hitori...just because you're spewing all these lies about him and Kano!!" He bellowed, lowering his saber, but not putting it back into its sheath. "We're not that ignorant!!"

I stared at him with wide eyes, clutching my stomach. He had hit it with the blunt end of his sword, but it had made a slit, and blood ran down my fingers in heavy rivers. 

"Jenny!"

"We're not - "

"SHUT UP!!" He raised the blade again, his eyes cold flames, and I saw to my utmost horror that this time, the blade was pointed at Suzaku. 

Everything after that was a frantic blur. Flaring ki soared with wings aflame, to light up the saber's gleaming tip, and send showers of its wicked fires towards my once beloved, as the Mikoto screamed an incantation of '_Taiyoufuu no Amaterasuoomikami'_. There was nothing between him and the attack. From the sidelines, Hitori watched with the same metallic grin he always wore, an angelic devil.

Suzaku was frozen, as time itself seemed to be. And as I watched the flames twisting and clawing through the air in their searing dance of death, a merciless assault, all thoughts washed away to leave a blank state of mind where instinct screamed loudest.

YOU HAVE TO SAVE HIM!!! YOU CAN'T LET ANY MORE OF THEM DIE!!!!!

But how...how...how?! Who do I turn to?! 

It seemed as though all the air around me had me in an unbreakable lock...struggling, I reached for him with every last bit of strength I had...

I LOVE YOU!!! YOU CAN'T DIE!! You can't leave me like this when you were the one who let your memories escape you, saving me back when Seiun unleashed the Koudoutai Inferno!! I STILL HAVEN'T AVENGED YOU!!!

Suddenly, I felt my legs work, suspending me upwards, towering above the ground. My wound ached and bled, staining darkly my kimono, yet I grasped it in a tight grip and held on to my initiative, my willpower, propelling me forward and forward on angel's wings...

SUZAKU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The fire was approaching, its deadly snare closer and closer...I planted my feet, and raised my arms, and hollered with all my might, becoming a human shield. All the energy I had within me I found erupting out my every limb, my every breath, and as the flames of all my candles shimmered brighter and brighter, swallowing up my doubts and insecurities, I saw the 'sei' engraved in Hotohori's candle gleam the brightest, an astounding light that combated the flames of the Mikoto vigorously, as though it were a living force...

I was willing to give my life, here and now. I didn't even realize that that was my intent, but in the days after the event, I shall come to know that I had given my body and soul as a sacrifice to a love I didn't even know would live on at the time.

My eyes traveled to Suzaku, who stood motionlessly. His eyes glistened tears, and I knew mine did as well, for with a whisper, so soft I knew only he could hear it, I said all that needed to be said, before the flames whisked me away...

"Aishiteru yo, Suzaku-seikun..."

Even if your mind doesn't remember, your heart will. I know, because I see the sadness in your eyes. You feel for me, don't you? And that's all I need to know right now...

-

I closed my eyes...awaiting the fire...

But it never came. 

Slowly, I opened my eyes again, confused. Turning around, I saw the fire extinguished, and in its place, surrounded by its ashes, was a gleaming symbol, a five-pointed star, marked on the ground permanently.

And I knew that I had been saved by Hotohori.

"The candle..." I stared in amazement at the golden object inside the lantern. All around me, the Mikotos were stunned; even Hitori's smile was killed. "It's power must be to cancel fire...!!"

Nothing could've expressed my relief. I had managed to summon the candle, not by force, nor by extreme ends of profanity, but by my own will. And it followed me. It saved my life. I realized then and there that the candles were reflections of the soul. 

They knew I was in danger, and they came to my aid. Now I live to fight on for those who have died.

"Jenny..." 

Blinking in surprise, I turned around. "Suzaku...?"

But who I saw was not the Suzaku of late. He was not the innocent young child I'd known just a moment ago, who recognized me as a teacher, and as a dedicated guardian. I knew he was not, for I stared him in the eye, and the scarlet shine was that of a man who'd just woken from a dream.

This Suzaku I barely recognized, for in the insane and frightening events of the last few days, I could've sworn I'd almost forgotten about the one I used to love, replacing his image with the one of the child, and figuring it would help me heal. But the man who stood before me now shone with a passionate light, and I knew in an instant he was the one whom I'd waited for all my life. And despite what had happened before, despite the many tribulations we'd overcome before, this was the most perilous, and with the most rewarding triumph.

I needed no physical proof, for even as we stood there, staring at each other in the silence with a renewed fondness of old lovers, even though he didn't look any different than the man I'd saved just a second ago, I could tell he was my dear Suzaku. 

Deep inside me, my heart ached, and tears trickled down my cheeks and neck. But it was an ache of happiness, and fulfillment. I knew at once that I was complete. We traded no words, but I knew he saw it as well. And he saw me as well, as if for the first time, as the one that he was meant to be with.

"You remember everything," I smiled again, a real, true smile. It was well-deserved. "You...remember me."

"I'll never forget you."

Suzaku's eyes skimmed over my kimono, my hair, my eyes. "It's as if I'm born again," he whispered quietly, "and as if you were reborn with me. Now we are both older, wiser people, whereas before...we were both only children."

His gaze traveled to the tin symbol that we saw on the altar earlier. Picking it up, he ran his hands over the object. 

"Freedom. Justice..." His eyes suddenly landed upon Hitori, who gasped. It was the only time I ever saw him so afraid, and I was shocked to see pain and nostalgia upon his features. "...they're all the same things, aren't they, Hitori?"

The Tenbinza no Mikoto was never wounded by us before. He hadn't given in when we'd pelted him with all our forces, when we'd tried to trick him, tried to outrun him. But now, as Suzaku stood tall, looking almost as though he was a god once again, the Mikoto looked almost...lost. In the feelings of the past. It wasn't like him. It was as if, with that once sentence, my Suzaku had rendered him helpless. And just the fact that he'd regained his memories...perhaps it made Hitori regain his belief? His belief...in love?

As he stared at the symbol in the ex-phoenix god's hands, a single shining tear fell from one eye. 

"Kano..." I heard him murmur quietly. "How could I...how could I...NO!!!!" He fell to his knees, his eyes unseeing. "You can't do this to me...I can't love!! I can't...it would bring the world to hell!!! It's not worth the pleasure it brings us alone!!! It's...it's not worth..." he shook his head, sobbing with anguish.

In that moment, I felt most sorry for Hitori, as I realized what it was he was trying to do all along...

He'd wanted to stop their love for the sake of the world, not because of anything else. He thought that it would cause chaos if he and Kano remained in love - especially when Kano believed in relationships between immortal and mortal - because he'd always been telling himself such...but that was before he saw love eye-to-eye. He didn't want to, but he severed the relationship in order to maintain justice...!!!

But it wasn't justice...was it? Not while they were both so unhappy...he just didn't realize it.

I suddenly saw things in a whole new light. Hitori wasn't the enemy at all. It was, rather, his definition of justice, that we'd all struggled under for all this time...we'd always thought it was him we should vanquish, for he was the only physical representation of that justice. But he didn't even want it for himself...!!

"That settles it!!" The pink-haired Mikoto shouted, stepping up from behind him. "You really did love Kano, didn't you?" He stared incredulously at us. "What you said...you are the true justice in this war, after all, aren't you?!" He couldn't believe it.

I didn't know what to say. 

If only Hitori could reunite with Kano again. Then he'd be our ally, as well...!!

But that's impossible...

Or was it impossible?

I stared at the symbol in Suzaku's hands, hope rapidly growing inside my heart like brilliant flowers, as I recalled what I thought when I saw it at first...

_But wasn't a shrine for praying to someone? Could Aya possibly have prayed to Kano, somehow? And did that symbol have anything to do with this? Or perhaps...everything?_

That symbol...that symbol!! Maybe if we combined our powers...Kano could hear us?! And just maybe...we could release him...?!

My eyes flew to Suzaku. Clutching the symbol, it was clear that he thought the same. 

"We can't kill Hitori," he glanced at the Mikoto, whose eyes were forlorn now with longing... "for that would cast all of the justice in the Universe of the Four Gods into darkness, and the whole realm would die out soon enough. There are some things he is right about...others, like love between immortal and mortal, he is wrong of." He paused, staring at me hard. "Besides, you've seen it, too...he doesn't deserve such a fate. He was only confused this whole time, and despite all the evils he's done...all he needs is to reunite with Kano..."

I nodded. 

This was the only way to make everything right...

Walking up to the altar, I placed my hands on the symbol as well. Concentrating with all our might, we focused our every energy, our every emotion, on that symbol, hoping it would bring Kano to us.

"What..." Hitori stared up, stunned at the light radiating from our bodies. "What are you doing...?!"

I placed all my anger and hope upon the object. Everything I felt. Everything I'd gone through.

The fear I'd felt when I first came to this universe...the courage I used to defeat it...the hope that was key when we'd tried to save Chichiri on top of Mount Black...the sheer willpower I had to summon from within me when I overcame Suzaku's amnesia...all the power I ever had inside of me came back with these memories, a force more powerful as lightning, a courage more passionate than fire, with red eyes darker than the bloodied rose in midnight, I honed my energy towards the symbol, with everything that I stood for... 

Everything I've accomplished in this world.

For the freedom of true love. For the Battle of Shin'ai. And ultimately, as ironic as it was, for the one person we've deemed as our enemy all along. Hitori.

This is how we'll save the world... I thought, as our ki mounted to an abnormal level, swirling within the symbol as if it were a cyclone. And I couldn't have wished for a better companion to achieve this with, Suzaku.

Now and forever...we shall not be denied that which we have fought so hard for. As our wishes sail higher than the realm of heaven, the stars shall hear our cry, and they shall open up the universe to us...we shall triumph, and we shall conquer. For we are more than gods with our compassion.

This is the legacy of true love.

"KANO ~ !!!!!!!!!!" Suzaku and I shouted in unison, and the pillar of holy light, too sacred for the human eye, shot up through the ceiling, towering above Castle Judith, and raced towards the dungeon underneath Mt. Black.

* * *

DAAAAAAAAAAAANG!!!! **40 F*CKING PAGES, MINNA!!!! **And that...is not counting the author's notes!!! Plus the 23 pages from the last installment, and that means **LEGACY IS 63 PAGES LONG, LONG ENOUGH FOR THREE PARTS!!!! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! **To write this...was harder than the EQAO testing!!! (and for those of you die-hard Americans, equivalent = Iowa Test...I think) Sorry for not updating regularly, and keeping you up with this huge segment when I finally do update (better to take this in two sittings), but none of this was boring, was it?! Damn, me and my ramblings...(collapses)

(Meanwhile, Watase Yuu-sama and Suzaku are still perched on the ledge of the 16th floor!!)

_Watase-sama: Are you suggesting that I wait until this car grows wings, Suzaku? GET US OUT OF HERE!!_

_Suzaku: Well, do you WANT me to drive it forward and crash that far down?! (sarcastically) Or would you rather me drive it in reverse, and take out CLAMPraven's hospital bed in the process?_

_Watase-sama:............_

(Both of them stare at each other.)

_Suzaku: Do you think we should...?_

_Watase-sama: (shakes head) She may be sadistic and bloodthirsty, but she's one of your only fans. (sighs) Alright...in order to pass the time, I think we'll just do a condensed version of Legacy, for fans of condensed versions (the one for Risen, courtesy of Ryuen...was killer!!). _

_Suzaku: (nods) Meanwhile, I'll just have to call someone. (dials phone) Kinomoto residence?_

_Watase-sama: (sweatdrops)_

**LEGACY 1-2: SHORT VERSION!!!**

_Tasuki: (thinking) I'm dying. (Damn CLAMPraven!!) I guess I'd better keep the promise. (DAMN CLAMPRAVEN!!) (gets up, smiles, shoots tessen, and collapses)_

_CLAMPraven: (loudspeaker) Bring in the dummy corpse!!! (clears throat) Oh, no!!! He's dead! F*ck you, Setsuna! (blows up)_

_-_

_Byakko: Nooooooooo!!! (falls through roof)_

_Irasa: Ahh!! (crawls under throne) Okay...breathe...get out!! (sees Tasuki) Aw, crap. _

_-_

_Kano: Poor Tasuki!! Psst! When do I get my kiss with Hitori again?_

_-_

_Irasa: I'm so helpless! (runs into Byakko) Hello. You're not dead, I see. _

_Byakko: CLAMPraven's dead!_

_Irasa: Well, good for the little bitch, then! (turns to see the three Mikotos) Hey! You're hurt! I suddenly feel an onslaught of confidence! _

_Byakko: (drags her along and runs off to gods know where)_

_-_

_Setsuna: I feel guilty for everything I've done!_

_Seiki: Feeling guilty?_

_Setsuna: F*ck you! _

_Seiki: (sweatdrops) I take it you want to fight me, no da?_

_-_

_Kano: NO!! NO!! Stop fighting, damn it!! (I want my kissing scene!!)_

_-_

_Aya: I'm stuck with the seishi with no powers and I'm surrounded. (fires arrow) Did it hit?_

_Hitori: No._

_Aya: F*ck. _

_Chchiri: You used to have an affair with Kano!! (accusing look)_

_(rest of the Mikotos): (gasp!)_

_Hitori: Where's your proof?_

_Aya: You're gonna get yourself killed, you bastard!! (cries)_

_Chichiri: Aw...it's okay! (smiles) We're all stars in the same sky! (dies)_

_Aya: NOOOOOOOOOOO!!! And he sounded so much like Moby just then...(we no own) except younger and cuter. Could've hooked up with him. DAMN!!_

_Hitori: I will banish you!!_

_Aya: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Bitch!! (disappears)_

_- _

_Kano: NOOO!!! Nooo!! Um... (glances at script) NOOOOO!!!_

_-_

_Seiki: I've put them asleep! (rubs liquid all over himself) Ahh...the wonders of downers..._

_Hitori: Run into the web, Seiki, so I can kill you!!_

_Seiki: No! I can't! But he'll kill me anyway!! Hey, maybe this'll work! (throws trident)_

_Haru: I'm letting go of my net! Whee!!!_

_-_

_Hitori: Well, that didn't work. Let's go kill more people senselessly so that we can finally end this thing!!_

_(minions): (cheers)_

_-_

_Suzano: TAIKOU!! DON'T HOLD HANDS!!!_

_Taikou: Aww...but he looks so cute when his skin's rotting off! (hack) Damn! (falls over)_

_Suzano: Hitori!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! (disappears)_

_-_

_Juri/Jenny: LOOK! A shrine!! (heads immediately over to the symbol) Ooooooh, tin...(heart)_

_Akira: This is a Kano shrine! That's Kano's symbol, and the information was taken out of some obscure astrology book that CLAMPraven loves so much! (doubles over with pain) Aw, crap. Must've been that bean burrito. (disappears)_

_Juri/Jenny: Nooooooooooooo!! (grovels)_

_Suzaku: It's okay! (teletubby smile)_

_Juri/Jenny: You scare me._

_Suzaku: Ditto._

_Juri/Jenny: Oh gods, I hurt his feelings! My conscience is working overtime! (pause) F*ck CLAMPraven's drama!!_

_-_

_Hitori: A Kano shrine!! (shivers) Eeeeeeewwww...cooties!!_

_Juri/Jenny: You swine! You dumped Kano!_

_Tenryuu: We killed Chichiri!! Lalalala..._

_Juri/Jenny: I'll kill you!!_

_Haru: Not his fault! And I'll search for the rest of the death candles so that we can make you really pissed in the next segment! (butterflies erupt) And did I mention we were sorry?_

_Juri/Jenny: I'll kill you!!_

_Shishigo: Nooooooooo!!! Not our fault! (slice) And now I think I'll kill your boyfriend!!_

_Juri/Jenny: Noooooooooooo!! Love...conquers...all!! (blocks the way in slow motion) (blinks) Hey, the candle saved me!_

_Suzaku: I have my memories!_

_Juri/Jenny: Good for you!! Now, let's make Hitori cry!_

_Hitori: I'm sorry!! I'm sorry!!! (weeps one teensy weensy tear) Sorry, that's about all I can do._

_Juri/Jenny: (waves hand) Eh, close enough. (holds the symbol) Come on, Suzaku. I just had the most bizarre idea. KANO?! ANYBODY HOME?!?_

-

_Watase-sama: (sweatdrops) More next time! And regarding what happens next...we don't own Sakura!!_

_Sakura: (flies over) Who called for the Fly card?_

_Suzaku: That'll be us!_

_Sakura: Too bad. You called the second season. (points) They're on my back now, see?_

_Suzaku: Aw, crap._

(Note: Card Captor Sakura rode on the Fly card in the first season, and wore them on the second. ^-^ Ja ne!)

-CLAMPraven 


	42. Episode of Power' Freedom

**"Juri"**

**-from girl to oracle-**

**By CLAMPraven**

* * *

~ Episode of Power ~

Part 40 of the Legend of Juri - Freedom

* * *

Ohayo, minna!!! Finally, out of the hospital...and as insane as ever! Of course, Watase-sama and Suzaku managed to get their truck off the ledge, but...(chuckles) they had to call in a lot of favors...

(Nearby, the said two were being harassed by a certain red-haired EVA pilot. (brandishes mallet from Timbuktu) And if you dare ask about the disclaimer...!!!)

Nyeh...Narrator? (taps on shoulder) We've already done the NGE disclaimer...

(...Oh. OH. (eyes widen) OH, HAPPY DAY!!!!! (GLOMPS CLAMPraven))

...................................Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight ^-^;;.

_Asuka: YOU GUYS TOLD ME YOU'D GO OUT WITH ME IF I USED MY EVA TO TAKE YOUR FREAKING TRUCK OFF THE 16TH FLOOR!!! (really, really pissed) Suzaku...!!!_

_Suzaku: (winces) Eheheheheheheh...(turns to Watase-sama) Whatthehelldidyoutellherthatfor?!?_

_Watase-sama: (shrugs) What else did we have to barter with? _

_Suzaku: Okay...um, right...Watase-sama, listen to me. (trying very hard to be rational, but popping veins left and right) If it had been Misato, yes, I would've taken her out on a date, because she's sexy, smokes, drinks, and has a body to be reckoned with. If it had been Ritsuko, yes, I would've taken her out on a date, because she's strong, calm, and methodical. Now, even if it had been AYANAMI REI, and you know how I've had a grudge against the little bitch ever since she beat me in chess, I would've taken her out, as well, because SHE WOULDN'T F*CKING SAY ANYTHING!!! But...**HER?!?!? **(points at Asuka) ARE YOU PLANNING MY OBITUARY AS WE SPEAK?!?!?_

_Watase-sama: (narrows eyes) Did you forget your immortality again?_

_Suzaku: THAT'S NOT THE POINT!!!!! (sweatdrops)_

_Rei: ...Perhaps we can provide another solution. Asuka?_

_Suzaku: (eyes bulge out) She SPOKE. (backs away a good twenty feet) THE GOD OF THE SILENT MYSTERIOUS KNOW-IT-ALLS SPEAKS!!!_

_Watase-sama: (whacks him) Do you mind?!_

_Rei: Asuka? (whispers something in her ear)_

_Asuka: (listens, then bursts into a mad evil grin) Eeeeeheheheheheheee... (turns to Suzaku and rubs hands gleefully) Suzaku...if you were to choose a date with either me or Ikari Gendo..._

_Suzaku: ..............................................._

(eyes bulge out) Well...um...(sweatdrops) let's leave Suzaku's decision-making for later, ne? Okay, quick analysis of all your reviews!! ^-^ 

Shishigo = most hated character, not Hitori; Hitori = just a poor fool who didn't know what he was doing; Shishigo = looks like Tomite; short version = hilarious (Sansele-san, after this chapter is over, I think you'll feel like going back and reading it again. How do I know? Well...); number of casualties in Legacy alone = five, unless I had a miscount, which is actually not uncommon; Seiki + Aya = NOT DEAD, contrary to popular belief, only banished, and same with the twins; Sansele = shakujou-wielding murderer after my head; Draconsis looks like Uranus = the running gag of the century; number of tissues used by readers = to infinity and beyond; number of tissues used by writers = one, and zero if you don't count blowing your nose. ^-^ Yes, I am evil. BECAUSE I KNOW THE HAPPY ENDING, AND YOU DON'T!! LALALALALALALA...

Oh, and speaking of crying...somebody get a mop for the review pages...(sweatdrops). 

And since I had just been reminded...when I was typing the whole banishment thing with Hitori and Seiki, I think I meant _anyway_, not _again. _Sorry for the inconvenience, minna. ^-^

LanaPanther! (GLOMPS) (flashes 200th reviewer banners) I didn't do this for the 100th reviewer, gomen nasai, and I sure as hell isn't going to find him/her, but I'll do with what I do have!! Yay!!!!!!!!!! ^-^;; Good show, and read on!

-CLAMPraven 

* * *

~Kano~

_"KANO ~ !!!!!!!!!!"_

I sighed, as I felt a lurch above me. The symbol had released its first burst of energy, and it soared from the heavens down to Mt. Black, trying to free me, but to no avail.

The power of the tin symbol was great, though it didn't look it...it could communicate with me, through the energy of the cosmos, and Aya had done it for years. But it couldn't possibly break through and rescue me, and I knew it all too well. That would be a miracle Taiitsu-kun would never allow.

Even Aya had tried to free me once...but it didn't work. I could remember his voice as well, around the time when Hitori first banished me, crying out desperately, on the verge of tears...

_"KANO!!!!!!! Please...come back to us!! Come back!!! COME BACK!!!!!!!"_

"It's no use...it's no use...I hadn't been able to crack the magical dungeon walls in thousands of shadowed years...and no one had been able to aid me, in all that time..."

Their voices came again, plunging down to Mt. Black and attacking the walls that contained me with frightening strength. I could almost envision them now...the ex-phoenix god's voice strong and commanding, the oracle's voice shrill and believing. The power of the symbol was reaching its peak now, and the beams that had flown down to earth were getting more and more forceful, more and more determined to set me free...

"KANO!!!!!! COME TO US!!" I could hear them screaming. "KANO!!!!!"

"It's no use...it's no use..."

"KANO, BELIEVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

My eyes widened in shock, as the sound of Suzaku and Juri's voices pierced through the barrier, striking through my senses as though a bolt of cold lightning. 

I saw it in front of my very eyes, but I couldn't believe it. Slowly, hesitantly, I reached up with trembling hands to a fault in the barrier, the smallest of cracks, that the sound of their cry chipped away. I could feel the indentation with my fingers...I could almost reach through. 

My jaw was slack, and my heart leaped with a sudden feeling of hope...

"Can they...can they actually break through...?!"

In my mind's eye, I could see them. They were standing there...even though they couldn't see the miracle they'd just performed, even though they had no idea whether their tactics were working, their eyes were closed in furious concentration, every nerve in their body, believing, willing the bonds to break...

"KANO!!!!!!!!!! KANO!!!!!!! YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE!!!!" The voices pounded away at the crack, and I was shocked beyond belief, to see the smallest crack of rock beyond the wall...and beyond that, it was as if I could feel the light...

"Yes..." 

A hesitant hand reached up to my heart. It beat more confidently now. 

These children. They battled against every odd...they lost ones who were dear to them, to seek a mission they never knew the details of...!! They lost the people who loved them and were loved in return, and Juri, in particular...she lost her world, her love's memories, overcame trials that no child should've ever gone through at that simple age, and gained her greatest possible ally, who overcame the possibility that they'd have to fight together, and died valiantly at the oracle's side. CLAMPraven.

And even now when all seemed their bleakest, with nearly everyone gone, Suzaku and Juri put the light of their faith together, to help me and Hitori reunite by their radiance, something most couples wouldn't even think of doing. Uniting a complete stranger and their sole enemy...despite everything we've done against them, everyone we've taken the lives of, everything this cruel Battle of Shin'ai had put them through...

They wanted us to be happy.

I had to believe. All this cannot be in vain. It cannot fail me now. 

This was the light of love shining through, the light of pure, free love, that no false justice can deny us...

"Yes...I do believe...I do believe...I believe in you, Juri...

"I believe in you...!!!"

-

~Jenny~

_"I believe in you...!!!"_

My eyes snapped open in shock at the forlorn, misty voice in my head. Next to me, holding the symbol, Suzaku did the same. And strangely enough, so did Hitori...

"What was that?!" I cried, but I already knew what it was. 

Tears of happiness trickled down my cheeks, as I stared lovingly into Suzaku's eyes, resisting the urge to drop the symbol and run to him in my merriment. The voice could've only been one person. 

"We did it...we actually did it!!! We've broken through to him!! We've broken through to Kano!!!"

Suzaku nodded. Tears were in his eyes as well. Clutching the symbol with more faith than we'd ever had before, we put every grain of our concentration into it, knowing we'd broken through the barrier. Smiling at our success, I pushed forward all my energy, all of the strength of heart I had within me, and was about to call Kano again, when...

"I didn't think you two could do it..."

Blinking, we both turned to Hitori, stunned by the sound of his voice. As he walked with shaky steps up to the platform, we saw in his eyes a foreign light, a light that, despite the mist of his tears and the shock of the events that had occurred, shone as it never had before. 

And as he turned his gaze to both of us, it became all too clear what he wanted to do.

"You've broken through to the surface," he said, in that same hoarse, yet gentle voice, "and broken through to me, in the process...but it was I who sealed him away first. I'll release him myself." 

He cast us a fragile, true smile, the first one that had ever graced his face since Kano died, and I can bet surely upon that with my very life. 

We were awestruck by its authenticity, but so delicate it could've been broken in the blink of an eye, and for a while we just stared, unmoving, not even daring to breathe, for fear it would disappear. But it didn't. And I found myself being guided by some mysterious force, as though all who had died in battle were urging me to forgive him, which I couldn't have been more grateful to do...

For the first time since our journey started, I was able to look upon the face of my most nefarious, devilish enemy, and smile back at him. He was no longer the masked man that he pretended to be, but now I saw him as something else, something more and more pleasant to the eye, something beautiful...not the unfair, cruel face from before, but a genuine face, a genuine smile, that did wonders for his features. And as he stood there, I couldn't help but stare and him and ponder if it was a different man, standing before me.

Deep inside me I told myself that this was how true justice was supposed to look. 

With that, I found peace of mind, as I let Hitori into our inner circle for the first time. He seemed almost fitting, standing beside us, as if he had belonged there all this time...

He placed his mace on one side of the altar, and his scale on the other. With his bare hands touching the metallic object, I could see him praying earnestly, and the light shining brighter than before. Once again, another pillar of radiance was coming, and Suzaku and I closed our eyes, not praying that this would be the one, but knowing it.

"Kano...aishiteru," the Tenbinza no Mikoto said in a soft voice. "Can you hear me? I am the voice of heaven, the voice of truth. I shall tell what I feel and not hesitate, and whether the universe be against us, this time I shall trust in what is the only justice my heart knows. Whether you be youma or Mikoto now, I shall welcome you back with the same love that you left my arms with, and may the heavens forgive what I am about to do."

"Kano...return to us...!!"

-

~Kano~

The voice struck my heart immediately. 

"_Return to us...!!"_

I didn't have to remember. My heart reacted faster than my mind, and suddenly I found myself ripping apart the walls of the dungeon with feral vigor and a strength that only one person could've given me. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined such power in my arms, such vigor and ferocity in my bones, my heart filled with yearning and passion I'd never known before.

Tears streamed down my face as I screamed, tearing the barriers apart, clawing away everything that stood between me and the glory of heaven. My heart pounded with anxiety, and I twisted and squirmed, kicking and tearing down the darkness around me, blood running down my fingers, all the while hollering back to him, back to the one I loved more than anything else...

"HITORI!!!! HITORI!!! I'M COMING...I'M COMING BACK TO YOU!!!!" 

He cared about me...he cared about me...Hitori...could it be? He did have his heart...could it be that he was hiding it all this time? All this time for my sake?!

Bewitched, I surrendered to the force of my love, and cried out in longing and fervor as I gave it my all...

"**TAKE ME AWAY FROM HERE ~ !!!!!**" 

The resonance of my voice bashed against the walls, shattering the darkness of the dungeon. I was floating away...

...

And as I hovered, I heard nothing, felt nothing, didn't dare to open my eyes in case it was all a dream. Even the pain from my fingers, scraped raw and bleeding, didn't break through to my senses, even when I tried to find it. All around me was deafening silence...

Was I dead? I didn't dare say. I'd never felt this way since...since...

"Since Hitori banished me from heaven...!!" I dared to open my lips, and utter it. 

There wasn't even an echo...I realized that I was right. This was the same plane of existence that I'd fallen through before, when Hitori had cast me from the sky and deemed me as a youma. This was the exact same stretch of nothingness from before...!!

But it was calm, and it was peaceful this time, and I was floating. Even the silence didn't hurt as much as before. I could tell I was in rapture, on my way back to the shimmering palace in the sky that I had come from. 

My feet touched floor. Stone...marble. I opened my eyes.

And there in front of me was all that I'd ever hoped to see. The ex-phoenix god, Suzaku...his burning scarlet eyes glistening with tears, his smile shining through to me, a smile that clearly marked success and completion. The oracle, Juri...her eyes, almost the same hue as Suzaku's, but darker than the bloodied rose in midnight, as the legends told me they would be, and her expression was that of pure happiness...I could almost see everything she had done through her eyes alone, and how much this meant to her. 

They were both so stunned by my appearance, though I was dressed in youma rags and covered with scars, my hair disheveled and my eyes wild, that tears were running down their faces in joy. Touching my own face as if it were an alien creature, I realized that I was much the same.

Then there was Hitori.

Cold blue eyes had melted away...in their place were eyes the shade of a perfect sky, warm and touching like the sun. Even a smile...

This was my Akiyama Hitori. I knew him from the moment I saw him. He wasn't the cruel man who had waited years with his feelings unspoken...that man had died, and my love had conquered. In his place was the one who opened my eyes, who opened my heart...I know he was still sarcastic and mean, but I know his feelings had returned from the dead.

And now...

I saw all three of them together. Suzaku, Juri, and Hitori. Holding the symbol I had once given Aya, the symbol I'd crafted with my bare hands, with its untidy rusts and the equilateral triangle in the center. I was always the type to make my own gifts, and I believed that it truly was the sentimental value of the items that counted, for us Mikotos had nearly everything you could dream of. I remember researching all the potent symbols of power for my set of Iteza stars, cutting the tin into portions and cutting my own fingers in the process. 

With scabs all over my hands and liquid silver on my arms from pouring the substance into the triangular mould (I was a bit careless), I presented it to Aya, who was, of course, so humble that I had to force it into his hands. 

_"Keep it! Don't worry, you won't owe me a thing! Aya-chan, always the humble one...hahaha! You know, after I made this, I gave it to Hitori to inspect, and you know what a perfectionist that guy can be...he even said that he could feel my presence when he held it! Yeah, I thought it was weird, too..."_

Before I'd made the thing, I didn't have a clue what I thought of Hitori, or whether he looked at me differently at all. But I had a feeling, back then, that there was something about him, that would eventually lead him back to me...and I had predicted right. He had been lead back to me, the night after I'd given that symbol to Aya.

I was standing in one of the rooms in Castle Judith Aya kept his personal things in. I could feel it in the air. All around me, I could see things that once belonged to me, including that hideous diamond basilisk I wanted Taiitsu-kun to confiscate so badly...it must've been Aya's tribute to me after I was gone. Where he'd tried to call me back using the symbol he knew was the only link between us...

A thought struck me, and my eyes widened. That triangle in the center of the symbol...!!

"The triangle represents the stars of the Iteza..." I murmured hoarsely, catching their attention immediately as I stumbled with numb feet, closer and closer to the altar. Soon, my hand was touching cold metal, as I stared in disbelief at the three who held it. "The triangle's three points stand for the trinity, father, son and holy ghost...life, death and rebirth." My eyes traveled slowly, as my vision hovered from Suzaku, then to Juri, and Hitori. "Suzaku, the symbol of the god and controller of the lives of your people...Juri, the symbol of death and the wielder of souls invoked...Hitori, the symbol of a kindness that had died and returned to greet the light...all three of you, together, the saviors of everything the trinity stands for in myself...! You all...the perfect triangle of freedom and resolution, and everything it stands for is in your hearts! It can't be just coincidence, can it?"

I stared at the triangle. My heart nearly stopped beating at all this...it was just so overwhelming, as if the last pieces of the universal puzzle had finally come together, at the end of the play...

"It is as if the Battles of Shin'ai were just the toils leading up to this. The real prophecy had been written in the sky, not in old parchments, all along, and it had finally been fulfilled...!"

-

~Jenny~

Staring at Suzaku, then Hitori and Kano, who now joined hands, I felt happy for everyone. Tears of happiness streamed down my face, as it all sank in. 

We'd solved the mystery of the worlds. We'd reunited lost lovers, gained privilege to our love, recovered Suzaku's memories, and sorted everything out, it would seem...and now everything is done. The curtains had closed on our story altogether.

But it also felt as though something died inside me. I realized, a second later, that it was hope.

The war is over...there really is no more hope for everyone who had died, given their lives for my sake and Suzaku's sake...is there? No miracle flower is going to spring out of what had already been sealed and completed, is it? They're not coming back...I don't even know how many of them there are who had perished! I feel awful...

This is truly the end. It's a happy ending, and I'm selfish to wish for anything more, but I...

I would give up so much just to have them back...

Suzaku caught the signs of sadness upon my face immediately, and frowned in worry. "Jenny...?"

"It's..." I shook my head sadly, turning away, but now Hitori and Kano were staring at me as well. I felt like a fool... "It's nothing, nothing really..."

"But - "

"They're back."

Jerking my head forwards, I saw that the Mikoto who looked like Miaka was holding all the death candles in his hand. As the butterflies turned to silver dust, and as he walked forward nervously, the three people around me finally realized what had been the matter.

"Oh my gosh..." Kano clapped a hand to his mouth, terrified. "Juri..."

I walked forward. The full impact was sinking in, as the death toll nearly stopped my heart from beating. The closer the Mikoto got, the larger his load seemed, and my tears felt heavier and heavier, until they felt like stones dribbling down my face, and down my collarbone, onto my kimono. 

It wasn't just one candle. Not even two or three. As I finally walked to face him, and knelt down to gather all the candles in my own hands, it was all I could do to keep myself from screaming out loud in agony. 

Five candles lay in my hands, igniting my palms with a susurrus aura, mystic presences undulating around my form. In one hand there was the mellow blue candle, marked with the kanji 'sho', reminding me of the pale lake by which Chichiri used to meditate, his mind open, his spirit gentle and wise.

He was a teacher, a giver, a strong anchor in our turbulent sea, a mysterious wish, an overlooking cloud in the endless sky, a patient dream of tomorrow's brilliance...Chichiri gave us everything he had, even when he didn't have a reason to.

He was like a guardian angel... 

In the same hand, 'Sora' and 'Bara' marked the candles of Taikou and Enri, and images of them working inside the Koudoutai shrine entered my mind as well, of the pink-haired monk's chipper exuberance and his lover's patient concern.

Taikou was so full of happiness, and bright imagination, it was hard not to smile around him. He was so funny with his ranting and raving, and he always stood up for that which he knew was right...an inexperienced mage, but a lover, a schemer, a butterfly in the feral woods, looking for that which would compliment him...

And he found it in the lone wolf, the towering white mountain, the fields of icy white, everything that he was not. But beyond the wall were fields of green, and he found his lover in Enri there...

They were destined to be together on all counts. Enri made Taikou strong, and Taikou made Enri smile...their souls belonged together, wherever they are now... 

In my other hand were two candles, one of 'yoku' and the other of 'hikari', softly warming my fingers with their glow. Tears fell upon their surfaces as I recalled the two...Tasuki and CLAMPraven, so much alike that they could've been brother and sister, but had chosen, instead, to be lovers and best friends. The bandit and the Nyan-Nyan almost always fought, but with his noble ideals and her fiery dedication...

They overcame all. Tasuki is like the billowing wind, and CLAMPraven, my friend, was the crackling fire. Together they were but a whirling hurricane of feral willpower, the strength of heart even death couldn't compromise...

They'd never give up on anyone. My loyal pyromaniac, and my best and truest minion. I'd only known them for a short while, but still, still, I thought they would overcome anything, even the threat of war, and everything we'd ever go through...Tasuki was hesitant to stand by me, and I knew it from the moment I met him on the freezing slopes of Mt. Black, but CLAMPraven...! She promised me, in her heart, and even though it went unsaid, I always thought she would see the end with me, if no one else would...!!

_"I've been risking my ass for you as long as I could remember, and that's a record I won't soon forget. You owe me! And at the same time, we have to remember that our loyalty is stronger than the space and stars...we won't hesitate to break rules if you fight alongside me!"_

I remembered her smile. Her strength. It was as if her voice was enough to fire up even the most spineless of cowards, even when all things seemed so bleak...

_"CLAMPraven, you can motivate anybody...I wish I had as much faith as that."_

_"You do!"_

She hugged me with such force that I thanked the gods they brought me to her as a friend and a guardian. Otherwise, I would've perished, and I wouldn't have nearly got so far. She lugged me back up when I was down, and she slapped me to my senses when I was confused. Even though she didn't look it, though, she was as dependent upon me as I was upon her. 

I think it was like Chichiri said once...you can't mix up friendship with love. Not ever. And you only realized how much you truly loved a friend after you lose them...

Now I've lost CLAMPraven, and I knew I loved her as much as I loved Suzaku. Suzaku promised me his life when he risked himself for our love, and CLAMPraven promised me something, too...Suzaku's love. And she kept her word, and died for the sake of something higher...me and Tasuki both. But I couldn't repay her with happiness like I did my phoenix god...and now she was dead and I couldn't return the joyous prospects of life to her, even though she'd given up everything...!!

"I can't believe they're all gone...!!" I whispered, my voice shrill to the point of cracking, and I held the candles to my chest, unable to do anything but sob, kneeling down upon the floor.

"CLAMPraven..."

"What are you mumbling on about?!"

I blinked in shock, and stared upwards. It was the face of the Mikoto who'd attacked Suzaku, the Mikoto who looked like Tomite. For a split second, he looked like living proof that CLAMPraven's attitude still roamed the earth. And even though I blinked and blinked again, the resemblance wouldn't go away. 

"Yeah, you!" He sighed, fingering Chichiri's candle with a guilty expression. "Listen, I killed your monk friend with my own hands, and now it's coming back ten times harsher, like it was f*cking Karma or something. And I know everyone else is feeling guilty as well, because Haru, who's a blind pacifist if I ever saw one," he glanced back at the Mikoto who looked like Miaka, "killed the two lovers. Not CLAMPraven and Tasuki...the other two. They died by Setsuna's hand, and he's still under Seiki's little sleeping spell.

"We've all been terrible, and we've all been jerks...and I know that understatement probably hurts you - really terribly sorry about that, but the thing is, as much as we have to make up after all this damage, at least we know how to do it." He counted them off his fingers. "One: we have to rewrite Hitori's stupid rules to include free love between the mortal and immortal. He'll have to beg favors from Taiitsu-kun until he cries, but it's not impossible. Two: there's the matter with Suzaku and the other Mikotos' banishments, plus the fact that Kano's still a youma right now. We'll have to reverse those things, too. And then there's the matter with the deaths..." 

He smirked, which stunned me at that point, and looked at me expectantly. "Well? Aren't you the genius who figured out how to save Chichiri from after the avalanche? You do the calculations. How do you bring people back from the dead?"

For a while, I just stared at him blankly, hurt and confused. So did everyone else.

"What are you getting at, Shishigo?" Haru questioned worriedly.

It was then that it hit me, something CLAMPraven told me before, while we were in Castle Judith...before Hitori came. And it nearly knocked me dead.

_"WHAT?!? YOU MEAN TO TELL ME THAT - "_

_"Yeah, Taikou and Enri both said so, right after we discovered Aya. It was raining like shit, and I asked them, and they told me: the Seiryuu Shichiseishi were defeated while we were gone in f*cking Toronto, and get this - no one told us, 'cause they all forgot when Hitori came along!!! I get the feeling Suzaku might've done that part...we needed our concentration on the blond bastard, but STILL!! Talk about a blow to the head! I felt like a f*cking idiot! Why didn't we ask?! Oh, hell...and I'll bet you, when you hear the next part, you'll really give Miaka a piece of your mind when you get back. Okay, here goes...she hasn't made two of her wishes yet!! Enri told me...from what he knew, she said to save them for later!! AFTER you defeat Hitori!! Damn, you should see the look on your face, Juri, it's f*cking priceless...well, at least we'll have something to look forward to after the war, ne?! Hahahaaa..."_

"Miaka still hadn't used two of her wishes!! SHE HADN'T MADE HER WISHES!!" I screeched happily, jumping up from the crouch and scaring the shit out of everyone in the room. "SHE HADN'T MADE THEM!! SHE CAN STILL WISH EVERYONE BACK!! SHE CAN STILL WISH THEM BACK!!!"

By now, I had wrapped my arms around Shishigo, and given him the heaviest bear hug I'd dished out in what must've been over a decade. Rushing to Suzaku, Hitori and Kano, tears streaming down my face in ecstasy and still screeching my lungs out, I could barely keep control of myself, still not fully believing what I heard...

"Calm down!" Kano smiled gently, but I could tell that he was as delighted as the others. "Calm down, or you might have a stroke, and then what would we do?"

But I couldn't calm down.

Chichiri'll be back, and I'll get to hear his 'no da's again, and so will Taikou and Enri...back to bicker even more at the shrine! Tasuki and CLAMPraven will be back and they'll probably marry one another in due time...oh, CLAMPraven!! I'll return all the favors she and everyone else had given me while they were alive, I'll wait on their every whim if I could only just get them back...

But wait!! Nuriko...Chiriko...Hotohori...Seiun!! But that'll be impossible, wouldn't it? Oh, gods of heaven, please let us have this one moment of happiness to accommodate for everything we'd suffered through, just this one..!!!

"Can you really revive everyone after we return your powers?! Can you really?!? If you could do that, than you can revive Nuriko and Seiun and Chiriko and Hotohori as well, can't you?!?" I glared at Suzaku and Shishigo. "Don't either of you be giving me false hope, because then I might just hurl myself out the window!!!!" Believe it or not, I wasn't joking, and I couldn't help but squeak in pure and utter joy when I heard Suzaku's answer.

"What...don't think I can revive a few lives as a god when I reincarnated dead souls on a daily basis?" He gave me a teasing wink and a nudge. 

I kissed him.

It really is a dream come true...

"HEY!!" A familiar voice burst through the commotion, and to my surprise, Byakko and Irasa had walked in.

"You guys!! YOU'RE ALIVE!!" I ran forward, giving them both a fierce bear hug each. In all the excitement, I didn't even realize that their candles weren't with me, and they were alive and well all along!

Byakko kissed me on the cheek. "Sorry about the delay...Irasa and I had been running through halls for god knows how long after the roof collapsed in the common room - but that's all fixed now - and we heard you scream in here; this room was deep in the castle and so hard to find and OH GODS YOU'RE OKAY!! You're all okay!!" He hugged me again, with tears in his eyes. "Tell me I'm not just hallucinating!!"

"Damn right you're not!!" Suzaku grinned, and pinched him just for good measure.

"SUZAKU!! You just sweared! But - oh my gosh, you remember everything, don't you?!?!? YOU REMEMBER!!" Byakko promptly let go of me, and latched onto my lover like a bloodsucking earwig...a friendly one, of course.

"Oh...! Is that Kano? And Hitori's still alive?!" The Medusa girl was so overwhelmed with this scene that she stared at me for help. "Tell me you didn't kiss and make up!! And WHAT ARE THOSE CANDLES?!?" She pointed at the load in my arms.

"Oh, these? Don't worry about them!!"

"What is going on?!?"

Rushing forward, all of us screamed and ranted the events of the last few minutes out to them. And while Byakko looked as though he was about to faint with shock, Irasa's head was spinning...in our jabbering, she didn't manage to catch a single word.

"Don't worry - you'll get it all down later!" I clapped her on the back. "But right now, we have some serious work to do!!"

Hitori nodded, and slowly aimed his mace at Suzaku, a content smile on his face. "It's time to return everything I stole from you, Suzaku-seikun...no hard feelings?"

* * *

_With that, the survivors of the terrible events took action, starting with the basics, and it seemed as though there was no happier bunch in the Universe of the Four Gods._

_After returning Suzaku's powers as a god - everyone wondered whether that was a good thing or bad when he wouldn't shut up about it afterwards ('WAHOOO!!! I'm back!! And so is my couch, and my TV, and my hentai films, and my laptop, and...')- and doing the same for Byakko - who, thankfully, wasn't that hyper - Hitori sent all of the haphazardly heroes down to the palace in Konan, where they would promptly explain their predicament to Miaka, while he and the other Mikotos confronted Taiitsu-kun about a small change of the rules..._

_Miaka and Tamahome had just arrived back from the funeral parade. Saddened by the faces of the mourning people, and feeling guilty for their loss, as well as anticipating any news, they came back only to see Mitsukake, tending to the unconscious Mikotos who had fallen from the sky. As they wept, however, something else had come along, as though a holy omen, from the clouds above, and they struggled to the window, overwhelmed with their surprise..._

* * *

~Miaka~

"What the - ?!?" Clambering through the crowds of doctors and servants next to Aya, Seiki and the twins, and dashing as fast as we could to the nearest exit, we gawked, awestruck at the sight that greeted us.

A huge phoenix had landed in the royal garden, preening his feathers and chirping quietly, as he tucked his gigantic blazing wings back in. His song was sweet, and unlike anything I'd ever heard before...but had a familiar touch, somehow, like the melody of autumn dusk. His whole entirety was glowing a hue of scarlet so bright it looked as though he was aflame.

We were frozen stiff in shock, all three of us; he was standing so close to us, we could almost caress his feathers if we summoned up the nerve, but somehow, he had a sense of a creature too almighty and too holy for the human touch. 

I flinched in amazement as tiny bead-like eyes found their way to me, and he bowed his head; miniscule shapes could be made out on his neck, even in the scorching sun, like small lice, or even...

My eyes widened in shock.

"It can't be..._Suzaku-seikun_?!?" I barely whispered, as he gave me another curt nod, and the shapes on his neck started to climb down onto his back, and off from his wing. "But that's impossible...!!!"

"Yeah, that's what we all thought," Suzaku shook his head; although his voice was booming painfully for my tiny ears, I was stunned when I realized it was the same voice that he'd used before...he lost his memories.

"What the hell is going on?!" Tamahome demanded, as the first of the shapes touched the ground. As she walked closer to us, we all gasped, astounded.

The woman had long wisps of midnight black hair, in which was pinned a blooming rose, and a slim physique; she was clad in wooden sandles and a long bloodstained kimono covered with patterns of cherry blossoms, with scarlet ribbons trailing from her arms. She held the death lantern, now with gold and jewels embedded in, and in her eyes shone a sea of red, death omens and the everlasting longing of a fragile, mysterious lover.

There was no doubt in my mind.

"JURI!!!" We all screamed in unison, and ran to greet her with open arms. 

I couldn't believe it. There were clear wounds on her face, on her wrists and her legs, and the stain of her torn kimono. But she was okay...

"You lived!!" Mitsukake was so relieved, he embraced her with tears in his eyes. "I don't know what I would've done if they brought you back dead...!!"

The healer had been struggling with himself and his guilt ever since they left. The night before, he woke up in a cold sweat bath, scared half to death. He told us he kept seeing Seiun in his dreams, and he saw Juri accusing him of killing the old priest, and dying in battle. When he woke up, his face was as pale as death, and I was worried at the time that he might attempt suicide again...but seeing him now assured me that everything was alright. His worst fears had been proven wrong...he would no longer suffer with bitter memories...not while Juri was here to aid and comfort all of us, just by being alive and being the gracious, loving person she was.

Tamahome nearly smacked into the oracle as he ran. "How could you make us worry?!"

I could hear her sobbing in joy as well. "I'm sorry...I'm so glad to see you...!" Her voice was still the same...it was no doubt that this was the girl we'd known and loved, and struggled alongside. She didn't seem angry at us at all for staying behind, even though we were angry at ourselves. 

Even Tamahome was worried about her, as Mitsukake was. I could still recall the days when we first met Juri, and it was just the four of us...Tamahome, Hotohori, Nuriko, and myself. Before we found what she'd written in the old journal I brought along with me, we thought she was mute, and he had thought, personally, that she was some sort of Seiryuu spy! It all seemed so silly now, everything we did, and the shock of finding out she was actually from another world, just like me in a way. But right then...well, if anyone were to tell him he would've been this happy to see our friend, he would've probably denied it with everything from profanity to bribing Taiitsu-kun into giving him a future reading, just to tell the person off. Juri didn't like him much, either...I didn't have to read into their relationship very hard to make that conclusion. Now it seemed as though they had become great friends as well, and I couldn't have been happier...it was one less thing to argue with Tama-chan about.

"I can't believe it!!!" I cried, weeping into her long raven hair. "How did you do it? How do you always manage to come through?! And..."

I stopped, caught off guard. Others were getting off Suzaku's gleaming back and racing forward, and there was no sign of CLAMPraven...either as herself or as the Sakura Griffin Yohko. 

Desperately, I searched for Chichiri, Tasuki, and the few others I didn't see, but I was shocked hoarse when I saw only Byakko and Irasa climbing off. Only when Suzaku was shrouded with a fine red pepper-like mist, and turned back into his familiar human self, did I pick up my slack jaw, and stared at Juri with horror. 

"They...they can't...they couldn't have all been..." I couldn't finish my sentence.

Where were they? I kept asking myself. What had happened?! Was there something she wasn't telling me? I refused to believe that it was serious, but...I stared at Juri for reassurance.

"You don't have to worry!" Although I couldn't decipher what she was trying to tell me at the time, she smiled, and it calmed me down a bit...though I still had no idea what she was getting at. "It's true that we'd lost a lot in the battle...but I think you'll be surprised at the amount of casualties we can take back. Now, do you remember those two wishes you saved earlier after the Seiryuu were defeated...?"

* * *

_All was explained without much hassle, though in Juri's storytelling, she was compelled to ask Byakko, Suzaku, and Irasa for details, since none of them were actually everywhere throughout the whole thing. Miaka squeaked with terror when they told about Tasuki and CLAMPraven's death, and Tamahome sweared so loudly that Miaka had to restrain him when they got to the part where they spared Hitori. Even Mitsukake let out a small whimper of anticipation when they narrated the sequence of events that lead to Kano escaping Taiitsu-kun's dungeon underneath Mt. Black._

_After they finished, there was a tired groan...no, two tired groans in unison from the room next to them, and they realized that Akira and Suzano had awakened from unconsciousness. Although the twins were still quite dazed, they succeeded in waking up their superiors, Aya and Seiki, who were very irked and grumpy but listened to the explanations all over again without much complaint. _

_Of course, they took a little less time, thanks to the fact that they went through most of everything, otherwise the survivors might've even gotten impatient...which would've surely resulted in mass destruction._

_Everyone was in tears by the time they finished, even the Mikotos, and when Juri reminded them that Miaka's wishes could be used to revive everyone still, the miko sniffed loudly, stood up from her seat, grabbed Suzaku by the collar and dragged him outside. Soon after, there was a huge flash of light, and everyone could hear, quite clearly even through the walls, her demanding the god to revive everyone, "IMMEDIATELY!!!"_

* * *

~CLAMPraven~

"Hm...?!" I blinked. "EH?!"

All around me was red light for a long, long time. When I finally rubbed my eyes, and stood up, I found myself in a different place.

A minute before, I was sure I was just a bright speck of butterfly-shaped light in a huge cage. It was dark, cold, and lonely...except for the millions of other butterfly-shaped lights; I was positive I was in Hitori's lair, locked up with the rest of Suzaku's souls, most of which had been there since Suzaku's powers had been taken away. 

But they couldn't say anything, and I couldn't say anything, either...they were just lights, after all. But somehow, I could almost tell who they were. One of them kept bashing into me, and I was positive it was Tasuki, so I bashed right back into him. We did that for a while, and even without mouths, I could almost sense him trying to swear at me. So I tried to swear at him...even though it was pretty pointless. 

Souls were not blind...they behaved just like they did when they were alive. 

Another one was very sparkly, even more sparkly than the others, and very pretty...not to mention hyper; it kept winking at me and Tasuki, so I assumed it was Nuriko...that, and the fact that a smaller one was always at its tail, so I decided that it was Kourin. Nuriko was chasing an even bigger butterfly-shaped light that he had already identified, which moved elegantly and slowly, but always managed to keep a stride ahead of Nuriko, and I knew it was Hotohori. 

One of the lights was bouncing around almost madly, even more hyper than Nuriko; it sidled up to me, and winked, and I figured it to be either one of Nuriko's old ancestors, or Priest Seiun...more likely the latter. I couldn't find Chiriko...I assumed he was the smallest one, though, the one not moving particularly anywhere, but moving around and around in a small circle, as if pondering a question.

Other lights appeared after I did, out of the blue. When one appeared in the distance, I was a bit afraid, but Tasuki knocked it over, and it didn't hit him back...only shook disapprovingly. Since it was shaped like a butterfly, and its antennae were particularly bouncy, I decided that it was Chichiri, and winked at him. Another two came along...one of them (the smaller one) came up to us, recognized us, and pushed the other one in our direction with unmistakable force, though the other one, being the larger one, almost shook him off...which meant that they could only have been Taikou and Enri. 

Stranger yet, all of the ones whom I knew to be my friends glowed with a stronger light than the others. It might've been because we all knew Juri...and it might've been the same effect with the red-eyed beasts from earlier. Juri has some sort of power to help the dead and make them stronger...and we got that power just from being around her!

Then suddenly, the cage disappeared, the darkness faded away in a flash of red, and I ended up standing here...

"CLAMPraven!!!" 

Everything suddenly became clearer. Trees surrounded us, and so did flowers. Tasuki and the others were in the same confusion as I was, standing around like idiots and not knowing what came next. But I saw the outline of a palace, and I knew we were back in Konan. 

"CLAMPraven, you're back!!!" 

It was Juri. Running up to me, she enveloped me in a bear hug that I could barely breathe in. 

"JURI!! Gerroff!! Mmmmfph..."

"CLAMPRAVEN!!! I MISSED YOU!!!" Her eyes were filled with tears, as she reluctantly let me go, staring at me with a pride I didn't think I deserved. "You died for me, and I was able to get you back...remember Miaka's wishes? You told me that - oh, never mind!!" She hugged me again before I could struggle out of the way, "I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'RE BACK ~ !!! And we got everyone else, too, not just the people who died up there, but everyone who died because of the Battle of Shin'ai, which means everyone who died from the red-eyed beasts is also here!! Oh, CLAMPraven, I can't believe our luck!! Aren't you happy for me? We did it, we did it!!"

It was a bit of a tight grip, not unlike a guillotine, and Juri had hugged the last of the air out of me. But as I stood there in her embrace, I felt proud of myself. I actually sacrificed myself for someone and lived to tell the tale. 

_I fulfilled my promise._

I won. I didn't defeat Hitori or whoop his ass the way I only ever dreamed about, but I won. In my heart...I did something good for someone else. I earned a friend.

I saved a love.

And with those thoughts to cheer me up, I hugged her back vigorously. "DAMN RIGHT!!!"

Around us, others rushed ahead to hug everyone else. Tamahome nearly strangled Tasuki and Nuriko in a huge glomp, and Byakko was busy introducing Irasa to the seishi whom she never knew. Mitsukake nearly hoisted Seiun above his head when he got hold of the Priest, and was so overwhelmed he barely knew what to say. ("WHAT DO YOU MEAN WHY?! You saved my life, you selfless old geezer!") Miaka had rushed forward to Hotohori, who was, of course, more than thankful for the attention. 

"What is going on out there?!" A voice cried. "Hotohori?"

It was Houki, her hair in complete disarray and her eyes streaked with tears, holding baby Boushin in her arms. Spotting the huge gathering outside, she rushed forward, and ran to her husband...the two were reunited at last. As she and Nuriko exchanged friendly greetings, Hotohori's advisors also rushed out of the castle, and half the harem stuck their noses out of their chamber windows to watch the commotion. Here and there from the crying and the laughing, I caught pieces of conversation that sounded like, "We'd have to arrange another procession immediately, to show the people he's alive and well," and "They'd never believe this!!"

"Ah, nothing like family," I shook my head and wrinkled my nose in mock disgust at Houki's and Hotohori's displays of affection, while Juri went off to hug Chiriko. He was her former koi, after all...I nearly forgot about all that! "Well, then that only leaves one last piece of business..."

I turned around, and glared up at the huge bird. Suzaku still hadn't changed out of his god form yet, and for good reasons. "You mind telling me how you did all this?"

The humongous chicken gave a modest shrug. "Normally, it can't be done. But Jenny, of course, being the oracle she is and all, has power over the dead, and that power's why the red-eyed beasts were attracted to her in the first place. Now, that power can replenish the dead..."

I snapped my fingers. "Knew it!"

"...and it can also preserve candles. The candle is a physical representation of the energy left in a person's corpse after they die. Normally, the candle wouldn't be touched or found after the person dies, and would rot when the person rots, and disappear forever. But, Jenny's powers saved the candles, therefore saving the bodies from rotting or any other damage, because she had touched them and preserved them with the force of the oracle. The fact that she used them and was able to command them...was just an added bonus. You following?"

"Uh huh..." I scratched my chin, wondering how I came to having a conversation with a celestial chicken in the first place.

"Right. Now, since the bodies were in perfect condition, all I had to do was put about...hm...5, 8, 9...nine souls back inside them. They're all in good working order after that. The candles, as you know, had disappeared from Jenny's possession as soon as Miaka wished for them to be alive...they're burning brightly as we speak, inside our perky revived war veterans. All clear now?"

"Right, right...okay," I narrowed my eyes in thought. "So...um, f*ck...what else was I going to ask you? Oh, yeah...did Miaka make her last wish yet? This is only one wish, after all..."

"Nope, but after she makes that last wish, she'll probably just get another few days here and then she's going back to Tokyo." Suzaku smirked. "Like she said, her journey's not over until Jenny's is over, and believe it or not, Jenny's journey is not over and could possibly last her whole life...if she doesn't figure out how to end it."

I blinked. "You mean Miaka's going to f*cking room with Juri until her 'journey' ends?!" I glared at him. "From my perspective, no journey ever ends! A journey is for your damn life! Unless..." My eyes bulged out, "You're talking about her oracle status..."

The huge bird winked. "Bingo."

"You're f*cking EVIL..." I glared murderously at him. "How the hell do you expect her to change what she is?! She can't just quit being an oracle out of the blue, or something!! She's got to sort that out with high-and-mighty Taiitsu-kun herself!"

He smiled. "I'm expecting Miaka to change it for her, with her last wish." He pointed the feathered tip of his wing up at his cranium, a goddamned comical look if you can imagine it in your head. "She's got to do _some _thinking for the duration of the entire FY saga, as a miko!"

"But I already heard about it!"

Suzaku froze. Both of us stared at Miaka, who had come around the crowd, and stood before her god. "Don't worry, Suzaku-seikun, I'll just get rid of her status as an oracle...I'm sure she'll be relieved, when I feel as though it's time for me to leave! No, wait..." her face lit up, as an idea struck her, "...I'll get rid of both her status and yours, CLAMPraven! It'll be a load off your backs...I'll just wish for the Battle of Shin'ai to stop repeating itself! Thanks for the idea, Suzaku!"

"D'OH!!"

I tsked softly, as the phoenix god cursed away. "He'll never get it..." Turning my head in the direction of the reunion, which had now gotten out of hand, I winced visibly as Tasuki, Nuriko, and Tamahome, with their arms slung over each other's shoulders in a drunken fashion, loudly sung a horrible off-key rendition of 'Setsunakutemo...Zutto' for the occasion. "OY! SAVE IT FOR THE REAL FUNERALS, DAMN YOU!!"

At this point, Nuriko blinked in surprise, and pushing Tasuki and Tamahome off of him, he trudged towards me. And he pinched my cheeks. "Aw...kawaii!! I think we haven't been introduced yet...they didn't tell me there was a black-haired Nyan-Nyan here." 

He glanced around nervously, now fully assessing the situation. "To tell you the truth, I don't think I know half these people. What's been going on since I died?"

For the longest time, I just stared dumbly up at him. Then it hit me.

"You still don't know a thing about the Battle of Shin'ai!!" I screamed, almost hitting myself - and narrowly missing. "SHIMATTA!!"

Nuriko blinked again, his face blank. "Ne?"

* * *

_While CLAMPraven was busy going over the facts with Nuriko, Juri trudged over, asking what death was like for him. The Nyan-Nyan explained for him that they never really died...since Hitori was holding all of Suzaku's souls hostage, they didn't even see heaven. Needless to say, our oracle nearly died laughing when she realized that the prospect of 'death' was yet another hoax, just as it was the last time Nuriko died and ended up watching TV with the gods._

_After the longest time, when everyone was asking what had been going on, and the survivors nearly died of frustration explaining it over and over, Hotohori suggested that they start the next procession, in which he'd be announced revived and well. Houki agreed, saying that the emperor's death had such an impact on the people, some fainted right in the crowds. Everyone agreed that this was to be so._

_But when she asked for Juri and CLAMPraven to tell their whole story again to the people of Konan, they nearly fainted themselves._

_The procession was arranged almost immediately, and the survivors decided that Hotohori should go without Juri or CLAMPraven, and that the Battle of Shin'ai be kept a secret to everyone but themselves. Priest Seiun and Taikou were highly against this (in the ways of punching, kicking, threatening homicide, etc.), saying that they should tell the whole story, which would convince everyone to believe in the Koudoutai and join their shrine...but Enri, once again, convinced them that this was okay._

_Late in the evening, when Hotohori returned, exhausted, the Mikotos did as well. Shishigo, Tenryuu, Haru, Setsuna, Kano, Jiro, Koga, and Hitori all pilled inside the palace, with good news: they had convinced Taiitsu-kun for the change of rules to the Magna Charta. _

_Love between immortal and mortal was now free for the taking. The legacy...had finally been fulfilled._

_In the evening, a victory celebration was held in the common room of the Koudoutai Shrine. However, they were greeted with a huge surprise..._

* * *

~Jenny~

"GENKI?!" Aya nearly strangled the small Tasuki-like figure in front of the doorway. "Where were you?!" He narrowed his eyes, and pointed accusingly at Seiki. "I knew it!! I knew it!! I knew we'd forgotten that SOMEONE was missing from this whole charade...AND YOU SAID I WAS WRONG!!!"

Seiki shrugged helplessly. 

The room had gone silent since Aya had stumbled out and opened the door at Genki's timid, frantic knocking. Everyone at the table had stopped eating, and even Tasuki stopped guzzling down sake long enough to see the Mikoto scratch the back of his head, a large group of sweatdrops forming on his forehead. "Eheheheheheh..."

"You mean...holy shit!! I should've KNOWN that the rooftop was too silent when we attacked CLAMPraven!! If you had been there, profanities would've been in the air everywhere!!" Setsuna nearly knocked himself out of his own chair. "YOU SNEAKED OFF, DIDN'T YOU?! You ran away from the Battle of Shin'ai and back to Castle Corona to watch your sitcoms, right?!"

"I can't believe you just went off and on your own!! You left us to bleed!!" Haru exclaimed, horrified. "How could you!!"

"You sniveling coward!!!" Shishigo's eyes were bulging out. "Even I went ahead and killed people!!! How the hell did you become the archetype of courage and nobility anyway?!? " 

"Well, you should've f*cking known!" He snapped at the accusing looks around him. "I took off as soon as you bastards started fighting Tasuki and CLAMPraven; you were too f*cking busy to even notice me sneaking off!! It's like I told you all before we left: I didn't want any part in Hitori's shit!! It took me until the night to find you all again, and now I - wait..." He narrowed his eyes at Hitori. "You're on _their side _now?!"

The Tenbinza no Mikoto nodded, smirking at Kano. "Follow the program, you donkey."

"HEY!! I was only trying not to kill people and..."

I sighed. Even after the whole entire transformation in personality...Hitori was still an arrogant bastard with a sarcastic streak, except now he had Kano, who had him wrapped around his little finger. It'll never change...I decided to stick up for Genki's cause. 

"Hitori, don't push it," I waved Genki over to the table. "We have some empty seats, and it's been a long day on everyone, so why don't you just join us? It's good that you didn't kill people. You not being there...sort of helped us delay enough time to convince Hitori of our cause. So, it's okay..."

Everyone stared at me as Genki headed over. CLAMPraven started tsking disapprovingly. 

"Damn it, Juri!! Sometimes I think you're just like f*cking Nuriko...a huge heart without enough chest to carry it in! You'll get yourself into shit too deep for you to handle one day, with that attitude," she warned me, from the other end of the table, but stopped as soon as the Ohitsujiza no Mikoto (as I would soon find out) sat down next to her. 

She started looking him over, and then glanced slyly at Tasuki. "Hm...you know, the Mikotos are about a Nyan-Nyan's height...Genki-chan looks just like you, with the same attitude, and that same lovely hair, except that I don't have to step up onto a f*cking ladder to kiss him." She smirked, as Tasuki gave her a look that clearly told her to shut up. "With a little luck, and with Taiitsu-kun's permission now, I can probably ditch you for him...ne?" 

"CLAMPRAVEN..." Tasuki glared warningly at her, with a voice that spelled drunk, but the Nyan-Nyan had already burst into laughter at the look on both of the redhead's faces...

The party resumed, as conversation and giggling filled the air once again.

A Konannese party was not unlike the Chinese parties I'd been to back in Toronto, I observed, as CLAMPraven opened up another bottle of sake for herself, sniffing the liquor and eager to try it for the first time...I knew she'd like it even before her eyes lit up at the taste. That would give Tasuki and her something else in common...they were far too alike not to enjoy booze together. It was like some sort of unspoken rule. 

The food was in neat piles when we started eating at first...then it went everywhere. For one thing, there was our resident Medusa, Uwabami Irasa. Irasa clearly had quite an appetite...Hotohori remembered that she also ate small animals raw and whole, when she tried to swallow an entire braised duck...and scared the shit out of everyone when she actually succeeded. It turned out that Irasa truly was a third-generation monster...her muscles could stretch so far apart, she could probably take in a whole coffee table in one gulp if she tried. 

So naturally, our dear emperor asked the cooks to speed things up just a notch before she managed to digest the duck and come back for more. But before they could bring out the marinated sweet-and-sour pig (yes, the whole pig), it was too late to save the venison steak (which Miaka wanted), or the rabbit meat (which Miaka also wanted), or the lamb (which she had to wrestle with Miaka over, and got the sauce all over everyone's robes, causing extremely profane cursing from Tasuki and Genki's end). And since Irasa wasn't particularly picky, especially after she had lived on measly palace food for most of her life, she even took away some of the bones off other people's trays. Yes...a monster was a monster, no matter how human they could act when they didn't have food in front of them, and even if Irasa couldn't turn people into stone like a full Medusa could, she came pretty damn close...!

Of course, this became a little troublesome when you added in Miaka. While Irasa was the monster in blood, Miaka was the monster in soul, and after Hotohori sped up the cooking, and the Medusa became full, she dominated the table, as always. It came to the point where Mitsukake had to restrain her by stealing her food away, much like the first time (remember the fish?).

Yep. Thank goodness that Irasa didn't eat the sweet-and-sour pig, because after it all went to our dear Suzaku no Miko, she declared that she couldn't eat anymore, and only drank water after that. It was strange, but then I recalled, from my school studies, the behavior of snakes...and realized that once they ate a giant meal, they wouldn't need to eat again for weeks. 

That, of course, meant that Tamahome lost his bet to Tasuki ('See?! I f*cking told you Miaka could eat more!! Pay up, Oni boy!!', and then, 'What the hell do you mean, you ain't going to pay?! YOU CHEAP-ASS!!!').

Conversation ranged anywhere from the Battle of Shin'ai, to the mating habits of the Medusa. Chiriko asked Irasa out of curiosity, and instead of getting a blow to the head, actually got a straight answer; of course, she wasn't a full Medusa, and ended up giving poor Chiriko the details of human sex instead, which scared him so much he ended up being excused to the washroom, and didn't come back for ten minutes. 

Miaka and Tamahome ended up with something similar to what they usually said to one another, and to their side, CLAMPraven and the bandit had resumed the drunken version of 'Setsunakutemo...Zutto' that they didn't finish earlier ('...kanaaaawanaaaai kooooi naraba, shiawase wOOOo negau dake sAAAAA!!!'), much to the annoyance of those of us who weren't rendered tone-deaf by sake.

Taikou and Enri were arguing, as they usually did anyhow (of course, this was after Taikou had a very long and interesting conversation about gay rights with Nuriko-chan)...but when I asked why, I was a bit stunned to hear from Enri that it was because the pink-haired monk had died for him when he didn't have to. Enri was mad that his koi could've been so naive and self-sacrificial, and Taikou went off ranting again about the strength of love and longing, making the whole argument one-sided again. It was then that Enri, surprisingly, took something from his pocket and whacked his lover over the head. It was the kendo stick that Seiun had given him before we left for Castle Judith, and upon seeing this, the old man literally burst into tears, and hugged his apprentice so hard it made Byakko's heavy glomps seem like child's play. 

Yes, indeed...the old priest was proud of his apprentice...but not proud enough to say that perhaps, it was time for both monks to be relieved of their duties. 

"You've both done so well in this shrine, and you know it's hard for me to say this..." Seiun was struggling not to cry more, as the stiff and absolute Koudoutai priest, but it almost looked painful for him, "But perhaps you would be better off if you quit as monks and went to do something else for a change, hm? Hotohori-sama had offered to promote the shrine more, so I wouldn't need you two's services anymore; he can find you a permanent place in the palace if you want, for all you've done for Juri, and you probably would like some time to yourselves instead of always doing chores around here, hm, so I figured that...that..." His eyes were watering at this point, and he had to scrunch up his nose very hard not to sniff. 

"Don't even think it!" Both of them cut him off with loyal grins before he could go on, and made him blush furiously. "You wouldn't last a day without us!"

And that was that.

Meanwhile, Kano was leaning on Hitori's shoulder, drowsily holding him and whispering loving words to him. And funnily enough, Hitori didn't mind...just sat there, curled up next to his lover, and gently caressing Kano's undulating locks of silver hair; never once did he say a word, but the tinge of pink on his cheeks told me all that I needed to know. 

It felt so strange to think it, but just watching them seemed to soothe me. Kano was awake a minute ago, but now he was exhausted...breaking out of Taiitsu-kun's prison must've taken all the energy out of him. But even when he and Hitori were coming back from Mt. Taikyoku, with the good news that the creator of the world had permitted love between mortal and immortal, he had been spoiling Hitori with corny words even I didn't dare call Suzaku, like 'Chibi-Hitori-chan', 'Cutie Pie', 'Sweetie', 'Honey', etc., etc...

Seemed like enough to make people like CLAMPraven and Tasuki sick to their stomachs, but Hitori didn't mind at all. I had the strangest notion that he would react to Kano's every whim. He did always get the door for him, saved the chair for him, and even saved some of Kano's favorite foods for him (much to Miaka's disappointment), all the while making up excuses for his model behavior and looking extremely stupid while he did it. The Tenbinza no Mikoto was a terrible liar, after all...

During the dinner, I got to know some of the other Mikotos better, as well. While Aya was trying to pry the twins away from Seiki, whom they'd promised to trick before the end of the night, I talked to Haru.

"They usually consider me the really quiet and peaceful one," He told me, looking a bit shy. "Well...I guess they're right, for the most part. I'm the Kaniza no Mikoto, and by nature, I'm supposed to be homely and motherly, and all those other nice things. Shishigo is the Shishiza no Mikoto, and he's a bit bossy, but that comes of being a Leo. He argues with both Koga and Genki - he's Ohitsujiza - because they're all fiesty, arrogant types. Setsuna is Sasoriza, and he's mysterious; he's also a bit of a perverted freak, so you might want to watch out. Jiro doesn't talk much...he's called Yagiza, and he's stoic and hard-working; he's friends with Tenryuu, who's Mizugameza, but they have some disagreements since Tenryuu-san's a contemporary person. Koga thinks life is all about love and money...and fighting, too, and he picks on people when he doesn't have anything else to do sometimes, but sometimes I get the feeling that he's spying on Miaka and Tamahome's relationship, and wants to follow suit..."

He went on about how Koga sometimes looked at him weird and he figured it was the Miaka-Tamahome syndrome, since he looked like the miko and he looked like the fighter seishi. He said that at first, he didn't like Koga at all, but he grew on him. Listening on, I found that Haru was a bit like me, shy, secluded at first, but when surrounded by friends...he was as confident as he needed to be.

The conversations simmered away as we headed to bed, with a few parting words and a few unintelligent gurgles from Tasuki and CLAMPraven, who were both drunk off their rockers. I insisted that all of our guests stayed, but in the end, most of the Mikotos had to refuse, and only Hitori, Kano, Seiki, Aya, and the twins lodged for the night. Hugging Suzaku lovingly and kissing him goodnight, I stumbled off to one of the finer guest rooms...

And as Irasa prepared my bed (as a servant, she had some chambermaid duties to attend to even when she was a celebrity), while I changed in the next room, I felt as though I was floating away, and that everything was finally at peace.

"I can finally sleep soundly," I murmured, as I lay my head down to bed, feeling tears come to my eyes...

Everything is fulfilled. This is truly peace.

I can't believe it's all over...! The war, the triumph, the revival...seems a bit lonely here, by myself...

...And was interrupted by something hard dropping on my stomach.

"OOF!!"

Scrambling out of bed, panting hard, I glared murderously at a very familiar red book on the center of the sheets. The moonlight streaming through the window illuminated the book, making it seem surreal...

"Aarrrrgh!!" I nearly pulled out my hair, as I instinctively picked up the death lantern (now empty) from my bed, and started bashing the book cover. "Go away!! GO AWAY!!!"

Thank the gods no one saw this display of survival skills.

Suddenly, and to my surprise, a tiny speck of silver light popped out of the book. When I peered closely at the light, trying to recognize the shape, I nearly screamed, falling back and landing with my butt on the floor. Slowly, I tried to inch away from the bed, but the light captivated me, and soon I realized that it wasn't going to harm me.

It was a tiny Taiitsu-kun fairy. In full robes and regalia, complete with sparkles and dragonfly wings. As I picked myself off the floor, eyes widened with amazement and fright (which was inevitable, when you see a Taiitsu-kun the size of Thumbelina popping out of a book), the fairy started to speak, with a voice so tiny and shrill it was hard not to laugh.

"Eh, don't look at me like that!" It snapped at me, and danced across the book to stand on the center point of the cover, facing me with a grim face. "And DON'T HIT THE BOOK!!"

Have you ever heard one of the chipmunks speak in those cartoons, where the voice actors sound like they put clothespins on their noses and they can't enunciate properly? I'm guessing most of you had. Now, clip the voice off the chipmunks, and try listening to a Taiitsu-kun no bigger than your nose speak with that same godforsaken squeaky voice. Yes. That was exactly what I had to do. And it would've been sooooo much more comical if I didn't have to hold my breath, for fear of waking up everyone else... 

"Gomen nasai," I managed to utter, holding back giggles, but still had no clue what was going on. "Who are you?!"

"Portal-chan," she said stiffly, with such a dignified air that I had to cover my mouth to prevent bursting. "Please don't call me anything else, thanks. I am the soul of the Mirai Tankoubon, the portal that has been bringing you back and forth all this time. Please...it was not the banging of the book that hurt me. I just wanted to suggest something."

I was confused, but not as nervous as before, and now stared at 'Portal-chan' with curiosity and a grin on my face. "So...what is it you'd like?"

The portal fairy apparently decided to make herself comfortable, and plopped herself down in a cross-legged sit. "Tell me, child. What is it you plan to do tomorrow, when the skies are once again blue and the land at piece? Will you stay or will you go? Will you remain with friends or family?"

I was stunned by the question.

I hadn't thought about...Mom and Dad...

I didn't think about any of that. All I knew was that I'd defeated the evils and conquered the hardships I was supposed to here. I didn't think that I would...

"Well...I..."

"I'll tell you something right now, child. Suzaku plans to obtain another identity in your world, should you choose to go back to Toronto. He wants to be able to grow up with you, and marry you someday, Juri, and he can't do that unless he becomes a kid physically, convince your parents that he's the right one for you, even though you've already been more than convinced, and even though you know your parents have a thing against you marrying some stoic Japanese bastard with a pickle up his ass. Now, Suzaku isn't like that, but if you plan to go back, you'll have to struggle, and because of the feelings he has in his heart, he plans to struggle with you. He is no longer afraid of such a thing, Juri, as he used to be...you taught him that yourself. To go for that you wish for.

"If you choose to remain here, it's likewise. Suzaku would then move you up to heaven, and build you a palace, just as Taiitsu-kun had built palaces for all the Mikotos. Miaka will leave, but Tamahome will find her...you would then have an honorable place in the heavens, building the legacy that is the world, and looking over the seishi. But then...you don't seem the type to leave your parents, I would think."

I stared hard at the fairy. 

"I can't stay here. There is no choice. I just can't stay here..." I choked on my words, coughed, and sighed heavily, not knowing what to say. My eyes became watery and bloodshot, for possibly the last time in the Universe of the Four Gods. "How can I abandon my own mother and father, my own flesh and blood, the people who raised me since I was a kid? It'll break my heart to leave my friends...I never did have much friends back home. I guess this is what makes me different from CLAMPraven. She's been here to the point where she doesn't remember what it's like back then, what she's left behind. That's why she isn't eager to go home...and I am.

"It's not the way. My parents nurtured me, cared for me, and gave me my identity. I own so much to them that I wouldn't know what to do if I left them weeping and screaming for me. I can't pay them back for all that they've given to me besides with myself. It was for me that they moved from China to Canada in the first place, even though it meant giving up great careers and success, to live in a run-down apartment in the center of chaos and street havoc...

"It seemed...so very peaceful and perfect tonight, with all of my new friends around me...but that cannot be, can it? That...just cannot be...there's always something going on, something to keep me on the run, isn't there?" I smiled sadly. "Something always stops me from peace. This...is life."

She nodded gravely. "Indeed...Juri, it is good that you know where you belong, that you know what you can change from what you can't. There shall always be responsibilities and choices, and suffering. But beyond it is a peace you shall never know until you complete your journey...not this one, as an oracle, but as your ultimate one. 

"Child...you know I don't like you. You've cursed, beat, and bashed this book around so many times I don't know what, and you know I only help you because it is in Taiitsu-kun's will for me to do so. But as I'm sure CLAMPraven told you at dinner, Miaka shall relieve you of the burden of your oracle status when she feels that it is time."

"But the time is coming so soon...you're already here!!" I cried, in the shadows of the room. "How do I delay the inevitable, Portal-chan?! How do I...?"

"You do that which you've always done," was her reply. "Gather your wisdom, make your conclusion, and lead everyone on a wild goose chase until they drop. And have your crazy fun in the process. Everything you've done so far was a risk, just asking for trouble. And before you leave these friends of yours, you've got to take the bull by the horns - if you'll pardon the corny cliché - and give them the best thrill they'd ever had in their lives. Better than the Seiryuu, and better than the Battle of Shin'ai."

"I guess I'll have to...but how...?" I whimpered, burying my face in the sheets.

I heard her soft tsking. "My child...think! What have you not done the whole time you were here in the Universe of the Four Gods, that any other person had already done?!"

For a while, I just squirmed helplessly, covered with bed sheets. 

What would anyone else have done?!

What would - 

...OH.

My eyes snapped open, and I jerked my head up. 

"I had gone through hell and back with the Suzaku Shichiseishi and co. In all that time, I'd never realized that I was in the perfect fangirl situation that others only ever dream about!! How could I have been so negligent?!"

The tiny Taiitsu-kun fairy smirked devilishly. "Now you have it. So what would any fangirl do...?"

"Grab the seishi and drag them home," I whispered, almost possessed, "_back to their hometown...!!_"

* * *

_Morning came...earlier than usual._

* * *

~CLAMPraven~

Everyone was standing in the common room in the simplest, easiest-to-put-on clothing they could find. Juri had woken us all up. Even though Byakko slept in his birthday suit, since he was a beast god, and disgusted Juri out, she pulled him out of bed as well (she didn't mind Suzaku being in the same condition with less sheets to cover him up, though...).

Apparently, she had some news for us, that she was dying to spill. In other news, Juri had also turned back to her normal self. Which meant bye bye long gorgeous black hair, sayonara slim adult well-endowed body, and au revoir top-of-the-line kimono. Her amulet and lantern separated again in to two, and...that was that.

Suzaku suspects that it is because the lantern finally realized that Juri's candles were not inside it anymore, and that there was no need for the fancy shmansy crap. It was a rather dumb contraption, really...centuries old and needed a good banging to even get f*cking candles to work inside it at all.

So anyhow, back to the drawing board. And back to us being dragged out of bed. 

Needless to say, we were all extremely sleepy, and all extremely irked, but when we saw the Taiitsu-kun fairy, a miniature - but just as ugly - version of the original, Tasuki's profanities echoed through the entire palace, along with an insane 'Lekka Shin'en' that nearly burned Nuriko's hair to ashes...and we finally managed to snap our eyes open. No...it wasn't just because it was six in the morning, but it was also because I was stoned yesterday. Very bad situation indeed.

I wouldn't be surprised if the whole harem was up next door.

But that wasn't even the big news.

"WELL?!" Genki bellowed, loud enough for Juri to hear, after she finally managed to open Tama-neko's eyes (without the use of a crowbar, that cat is almost impossible to wake). "What is going on?! What the hell did you get the portal to wait for?! HOW the hell did you get the portal to wait?!"

Finally letting a very disgruntled Tama-neko go, our oracle stretched out her arms, breaking the suspense.

"Ladies and gentlemen..." she sighed, a sad look on her face. "I'll have to leave this world soon. I have to return to my parents, and even though I won't be able to stay, the portal agreed to let me back a few times later, as well as let my children come back, even though you guys probably won't be around that long because the times are different and all, buuuuuuuuuuut...I'm doing one last thing before I leave, something I know you'll remember forever. So whether you can handle it, and even if you can't..." 

Suddenly, she beamed, an almost evil look on her face. "...I'm taking you all back to my hometown of TORONTO!!!"

* * *

Ahahahahahaaaaaa...(rubs hands together) Okeedo. I own you somewhat of an explanation, and an update while I'm at it. You may or may not be wondering how this is the end. 

Well, the truth is, it isn't.

The akugis aren't just akugis. Some of them continue from the end of the regular Juri. So in a way, this makes up for the loss of a sequel.

'Toronto' shall continue off, in which Juri takes everyone around Toronto to see the sights. At night, they settle down in a hotel, and tell the stories of each other's pasts, taking place in 'Nightfall'. After that, I have a few change of plans...since there has been an unforeseen plot twist, I shall change it, so that 'Descendents' tells of a special occasion, in which Juri (called only Jenny in the real world now) and Suzaku are married, with four children, and the children...well, blah. Don't want to ruin it for you, do I? Yeeeeeeeeessss...and I'm evil as evil can beeeeeee...(goes off in a singsong fashion)

(Um...yeeeeaaaah. That, and the fact that there are also bloopers, a parody (After some painstaking decision-making, she has decided for it to be of Sailormoon. Kudos if she can actually pull it off, but...), plus a credits thingamabob, and the epilogue whachamacallit. (nods vigorously) She has decided to tackle something almost as big as an actual sequel. Hope she can pull it off!!)

(Of course, if you had liked this story (which I doubt), you shall probably want to slap CLAMPraven. She thought she had made the perfect chapters for Legacy, but it turns out that she had forgotten all about Genki altogether. So she brought him back the best way she could, and she even patched things up here and there in chapters 39 and 40...('I escaped from the battle without anyone noticing me, even the writer, and went watching sitcoms in Castle Corona!' Holy flapping gods...how many of you actually bought that crap?) Forgive her novice skills. (bows))

(After the specials, CLAMPraven, being a nomad raven, has to move on from FY. She plans to go somewhere she actually belongs (like the frigging CLAMP sections!!), and write her next fic, which she says is a Rayearth one, but I don't trust her.)

(She's also taking her free time and writing an original story (gods, that really is news), which she hopes not to post, but to publish. (whistles) Talk about distant dreams. But she tries.)

(Meanwhile...remember what happened earlier with Suzaku and Asuka?)

_Suzaku: I cannot believe I'm having a date with Ikari Gendo._

_Gendo: I cannot believe I'm having a date with a chicken god by Watase Yuu who is but a measly side character, while my name is known in all corners of the globe from the success of NGE._

_(both): F*CK YOU!!!_

(Erm...right...(crosses over) Kosher?)

_Suzaku: DAMN YOU!! You're probably a yaoi fan yourself!_

((gasps shrilly, as only a gay man can do) I'M NOT GAY!! (hides underneath dining table))

_Gendo: ...........He's in denial. (shifts sunglasses slightly, as only Gendo can do)_

_Suzaku: (sweatdrops) Tell me about it..._

-CLAMPraven 


	43. And Now, to Screw up the Whole Damned Pr...

**"Juri"**

**-from girl to oracle-**

**By CLAMPraven**

**SPECIAL COLLECTION**

* * *

~ And Now, to Screw up the Whole Damned Production! ~

Part 1 of the Legend of Juri Special - Toronto (1)

* * *

**(First, a few notes...everyone seems to be so happy over the surprise ending/beginning! Yes, we are very productive here at Plot Twists 'R Us, where we manufacture surprise deaths, revivals, and reincarnations every day!! ^^;; And as for the questions...Chibigreen Tanuki, Jiro is the Capricorn. Are you a Capricorn? (curious) CLAMPraven doesn't believe it, since you seem just a tad bit too hyper for the role, but I guess it can happen. (She's a Cancer, I'm an Aquarius, Juri's a Pisces, and Narrator's a Virgo, I think) Draconsis...Genki's taking your advice.)**

_Genki: MUAHAHAHAHAH!!! (stuffs CLAMPraven into Suzaku's television and plugs it in) DIE, YOU ABSENT-MINDED INHUMANE CREATURE!!! _

(The television short-circuits and bursts into flames. CLAMPraven comes out, screaming, cursing, and looking very disgruntled. Draconsis sweatdrops. Noir sweatdrops.)

**(Aheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeem. Anyway...yes, I'm quite sure susurrus is a word. CLAMPraven saw it being used in Roku Kyu's fic. (sweatdrops))**

(pokes her) AHEM!!!

**(Hm? Ohhhh...(clears throat)...let me rephrase that. She saw it being used in ROKU KYU's fic. (shakes head disapprovingly) Damn it, I never thought the fan thing was serious up until now.)**

**(And Ketsuki, you flatter CLAMP-kun just a tad bit too much. That is not healthy for her; she might try another outbreak if she gets too far ahead of herself! If you do read back on the first chapters, I think you'll find that they have enough tense mistakes to make you pull your hair out. (sweatdrops) But as she once said, CLAMPraven grew up with this fic, and her writing's improved a great deal. And on another note...you're a Torontonian, as well?! Born and raised?! (grins) That'll be good for the story indeed...you've heard of the TTC, and the Toronto Zoo, and North York, right? How about the Skydome, CN Tower, Kiss 92 fm? Or even Wonderland and Highland Junior High School? It'd be so cool if you knew what we're talking about, because I'd bet that most of the reviewers won't. This would be an advantage for you! CLAMPraven wouldn't believe this...) **

**(And now, back on track for the first of all our specials! I, Noir, shall serve as the host of this particular special, simply because Byakko and Suzaku still don't trust CLAMPraven's motives, in and out of fanfiction, despite what she had said, and despite the fact that she wrote this special without bringing in a single Teletubby. (sighs) So I'm left to do this by myself. Typical.)**

**(Keep in mind what was stated before, that although this is called the Special Akugi Collection, it is still continuing where the story left off...that is, everything with the exception of the parody, the bloopers, and the credits. So everything that happens now...aren't exactly like replacement OVA's, but will do. Do we have an agreement?)**

**(So now that the whole story is done and over with, we get to fool around with it however we like, which I believe is the best part. Where we last left off, Juri had announced that she would be taking everyone to her world. As she herself had said: "I had gone through hell and back with the Suzaku Shichiseishi and co. In all that time, I'd never realized that I was in the perfect fangirl situation that others only ever dream about!! How could I have been so negligent?!" How very true.)**

**(And of course, this time, Juri didn't hesitate to say her mind. When she wanted back, she wanted back. And as the portal was in an exceptionally nice mood that day...)**

-CLAMPraven 

* * *

~CLAMPraven~

We all blinked in unison. Yes...all 22 of us, enough people to fill a tour bus, at the exact same time. 

The only one who didn't blink was Juri, which would've made us 23...or, if you counted Tama-neko as an extra person, 24...

With a broad sweep of her arm, Juri gestured to a huge array of skyscrapers and office buildings, reaching up to the sky. "Well, what do you know, ladies and gentlemen...the portal was nice enough to drop us off in the heart of downtown Toronto, Ontario, instead of at the library, as usual. Thanks, Portal-chan!"

The tiny Taiitsu-kun fairy in pink only grunted, as she stepped back into the scarlet hardcover, and slammed it shut without another word. The Mirai Tankoubon disappeared in a burst of smoke, as everyone gawked at the scenery.

Having never been to Toronto before, as I was but a proud U.S. citizen, I couldn't help but notice how BIG it was...

That is, before I noticed where exactly we'd been standing.

I tugged on Juri's sleeve. "Holy shit. Juri..."

"Yeah?" She turned around. "What is it, CLAMPraven?"

Clearing my throat nervously, and pulling at my collar, I pointed to the ground beneath our feet that we'd failed to notice. "Now, this being Canada, I wouldn't know how the hell you operate, and I can't exactly assume, either...but I'm guessing you would agree in saying that you don't allow pedestrians standing in the middle of an intersection?"

-

_Ten (extremely hectic) seconds later..._

-

_"F*CKING PORTAL-BAKA!!!!!!!" _Juri's scream echoed off the buildings.

"I can't run anymore!" Miaka collapsed on the ground, breathless. "That was freakish!"

"That...was mean..." Irasa half-panted, half-hissed, anger rising dangerously, "...for that portal...to drop us off...in the middle of the road, for those...gas-spewing machines - "

"Cars," I raised a finger weakly, nearly passing out on the ground.

"What? C...cars...?" She read my lips carefully, making sure she got it right. "What are those?"

"Vehicles that operate on fossil fuel, made of metallic alloys, major pollutants in our wretched, masochistic society?" Suzaku offered innocently, sitting on the edge of a fountain. 

Everyone who had to run for their lives from the intersection glared murderously at those who could teleport, fly, or just run really fast.

"Sometimes, I really hate you..." Nuriko muttered, picking himself off from the burning mid-day asphalt, and pointing an accusing finger at the Mikotos. "The least you guys could've done was helped us a little!!!"

The Mikotos automatically turned their heads in the other direction, whistling innocently.

"Too bad! You should've just learned how to teleport by yourself!" Suzano and Akira chorused in unison, grinning like Cheshire cats, trying to balance on the edge of the fountain while playing tag.

Nuriko scowled. The twins grinned. Seiki pulled the twins' ears for good measure. 

"Never mind, never mind..." Juri sighed. "As much as I hate that portal, I'm just glad it didn't drop us off on Highway 401. You guys have no idea how much congestion and road kill - " She paused, considering this. "Why do I get the feeling the portal would've probably dropped us there, if the Mikotos and the gods didn't present the possibility of her getting her ass kicked?"

"I think there is something else we seem to be forgetting, is there not?" Chiriko spoke. "What about _them_? Did you forget to change our attire for this world, Suzaku?"

Everyone snapped to attention, seeing the crowd of Torontonians gawking at our strange clothing in shock. Even little babies in their strollers pointed and gasped.

Juri slapped her forehead, as a whole class of fifth-graders and a couple of bums stopped to stare at the odd crowd standing by the fountain. "By the gods...how could we forget?! You're all still wearing the same things you always have! Plus, the Mikotos look like dwarfs and CLAMPraven does, too!" Her eyes bulged out in shock, as veins began to show. "And are we still speaking Japanese?!"

I patted our oracle on the back sympathetically. "Even breathing, Juri-chan; you might hurt yourself..."

"What's wrong with Japanese?" Taikou challenged. "It's a dignified, moral, and highly impressionable - "

Enri lost no time in bopping the pink-haired monk with the kendo stick, making Seiun smile wider than ever. "Now's not the time for that, dear."

Calmly, Suzaku snapped his fingers, leaving a cloud of smoke around us, transforming all of our clothes into regular attire, as well as making any large curious appendages (i.e. Seiki's larger-than-life tail) disappear...all except Byakko, who was left in a clown suit, rubber nose and all, just for the heck of it. 

"Hey!! SUZAKU!!!!" Byakko screeched, changing the suit to normal clothing.

The phoenix god then reached into a pocket, and produced a small pen-shaped object. Pressing a button on the object, the portable machine sent out a blinding white light, directed at the crowd. As the onlookers blinked, looking somewhat baffled, he simply smiled and took out his laptop from gods know where, typing vigorously. "You saw nothing."

As the crowd departed, leaving several of us very shocked, I shook my head furiously. "I won't even f*cking ask."

"Won't f*cking ask what?" Tasuki wondered.

"Come back when you've watched Men In Black," I advised him.

Keying in a few last html codes to make it perfect, Suzaku closed the laptop, grinning. "A few modifications to your original program, Juri, and we're all set. The languages shouldn't be a problem. Now..." the laptop disappeared, replaced by a map of North York (not New York, North York of Greater Toronto!!). "Shall we head out?"

-

~Jenny~

After a few minutes of decision, indecision, and random flying limbs, we had concluded that we needed teams...teams of even numbers, wandering around Toronto, as all of us together would definitely make a scene. 

This prospect scared the shit out of me.

"You can't do that!" I squeaked, frantically gesturing to the buildings around us. "They don't know a thing about Toronto, or Canada, or this world!! They'd destroy the continent in five minutes flat!!!"

"Don't worry so much about it. They aren't that bad!" Byakko reasoned. "Think about it. We gods and Mikotos know what this world is like; with at least one Mikoto or god - or more - per group, and at least one map per group, we should be able to manage fine. We'll make sure there's at least one disciplined person in each group, too - not just a Mikoto," he added, casting a nervous glance at the twins, "so that everyone is kept in line. We won't put CLAMPraven, Tasuki, Nuriko, and Tamahome in the same group, or anything like that, since that would be the recipe for disaster."

"HEY!" Tamahome protested.

"Well, we don't," Nuriko shrugged. "He has a point." He grinned smugly. "And besides, I'd much rather be with Hotohori-sama instead of Obake-chan..."

Said Obake-chan made a face. "_Well_, isn't that just like_ you, _Kisama Okama..."

Byakko coughed nervously, as Miaka, four of the seishi, and the three monks made a mad dash for Nuriko before he could punch Tama into anything from a regular wall to the CN Tower structure. "Erm...so anyway, everyone behaves. We'll make sure they find their way around the city. So what do you say?" The tiger god stared expectantly at me.

Still holding Nuriko back, Taikou frowned. "Good rant, but bad chiché ending. It could use some work, Byakko...WHOA!" He fell back (with everyone falling on top of him) as the strongest seishi broke free, followed by some very painful blood-curdling screams on Tamahome's behalf. 

Everyone discreetly turned the other way, sweatdropping; meanwhile, the pink-haired monk's muffled rants could still be heard underneath the pile of bodies that buried him. 

I considered what the tiger had said. Certainly it couldn't have been too bad a suggestion...?

Oh, but it was...it _really_, _truly_ was...

-

~Hitori~

A few minutes later...

"I want to be in the same group as Hotohori!!" The purple-haired seishi squealed, as he clung on to the emperor in what would've otherwise been a murder grip, but in this case...was just plain fun. It seemed painfully clear that any mention of Houki was out of the question.

Struggle as he might, Hotohori could not pull away; tilting my head, in consideration, I placed them in the same group on the clipboard Suzaku gave me. "Why the hell not...he'd be lunging for the guy like a sick puppy anyways."

Laughing at the look on my face, Kano slid up to me and slapped my back, nearly knocking me over. "Don't you think it's funny, Hitori honey? I wonder how Nuriko can be this dedicated, this...possessive?"

I gazed indifferently at him. "Because he is a lovey-dovey gay man."

Almost immediately, a huge boulder collided with my head. Although it didn't do much damage, as it shattered into a million pieces when it hit my aura, I scowled, knowing full well there was going to be a lot more where that came from if I didn't shut up.

Smirking cleverly, Kano patted me on the back and pinched my cheek. "And aren't we all, Cutie Pie...aren't we all..."

"Urgh...Kano, letgo...what are you looking at?!" I glared at Juri, who was watching this scene smugly. 

Turning my attention back to the clipboard, while Kano finally got the idea to let go of my face, I checked off the rest of the names. "Alright...so that would make the following groups. The first group is Nuriko, Hotohori, Aya, Taikou, and Enri. The second is Juri, CLAMPraven, Suzaku, Chiriko, Tamahome, and Miaka. The third is Seiun, Byakko, Irasa, Tasuki, Chichiri, and Mitsukake - plus Tama-neko, if he counts as an extra person, which leaves Akira, Suzano, Seiki, Kano, and myself for the fourth group."

"I knew you couldn't resist putting me in your group, Hitori-kawaii-chan!" Kano grinned smugly.

"Hitori-kawaii-chan??" I heard CLAMPraven mutter discreetly to Juri. "I know she f*cking loves him, but isn't that a bit much?!"

Frowning, I coughed, shutting her up immediately.

Seiki groaned. "I'm stuck with the twins AGAIN, no da?! Doushite?!"

I narrowed my eyes at him, and gave him a sarcastic grin. "Because I'm _evil._" Turning back to the rest of the group, I nodded. "You're all set; the watches and maps that Suzaku gave you should be sufficient...Tasuki, you can't pry the watch off with your teeth, even if you have fangs. It's there for a reason...don't look at me like that. Now, if any of you do anything stupid, your god or Mikoto partner should be able to take care of it without landing you in jail, which you should understand given that there were jail cells back in Konan, except that the ones in this world are a whole lot more gay and a whole lot less sanitary. 

"What you choose to do with your day is entirely up to you. Go to Niagara Falls, scale the CN Tower, fall off the CN Tower, hitchhike a GO bus and eat funnel cakes at Wonderland till you get shipped to the E. R. ...it couldn't matter less. At 7 p.m. sharp, I expect all of you here on this very ground again, so that we may find a place to sleep for the night, preferably a decent motel. And after that, in the early morning, we shall bid farewell to Suzaku and Juri, although it will be far from the last time we see those two." I glanced at the lovers who had fought, against all odds, to prove what they felt was right. "There should be no problem remembering them for their recklessness alone." 

With that, I casually threw the clipboard over my shoulder, followed by the screeching of a dumpster cat. "With that in mind, you may go."

* * *

_And so off went each team, to see the sights the T Dot had to offer, not realizing just how much trouble it really was, putting the Konannese in a place where they clearly didn't belong..._

* * *

~Nuriko~

"So, where do you guys want to go first?" I asked cheerfully, as we left the fountain area. "Hotohori-sama?"

Carefully inspecting the map with puzzlement, Hotohori pointed to the many crossing lines on the large piece of paper, showing the imperfect rectangular shape that was North York. "I could decide, if only I knew how to read this...Aya, what are these lines?"

"They're roads and intersections where the roads meet, and the blue ones that look a lot like them are the rivers," Aya informed him, suddenly proud of his superior 'Torontonian' knowledge. "From what I know, Juri lives here, near this loop called Peanut Plaza..." he pointed to a small island-like shape, where a road split into two, and then back again. 

"'Peanut Plaza'...?" I wrinkled my nose.

"What is a 'peanut'? And what is a 'plaza'?" Enri wondered out loud.

"I'll tell you later. But see here..." he pointed with that extra long nail again, while we all crowded around him. "Peanut Plaza is right next to Juri's home, with several restaurants; it is a dangerous place, where gangs smoke and drink sometimes. The road that winds around Peanut Plaza is called Don Mills Road. Juri rides the TTC...that's the Toronto public transit, a bus system...Juri takes the bus, a really big car for public service, to her school, down here..." he trailed his finger down Don Mills Road, to a small block. "That's called Highland Junior High. She goes there five days a week, except in summer - which is now - when she doesn't have to."

"Sounds a bit complicated," Taikou scratched his head.

"We don't have to visit there today," Aya told him, "just if you want to. The point is, I think that...Suzaku is going to Juri's residence, over here, on Godstone Road," his finger trailed back up Don Mills, through Peanut Plaza, and to a small branch of the road, leading to more blocks. "So we probably shouldn't go there."

Everyone stared at him.

"You told us everything about Juri's daily life...just to tell us THAT?" My jaw dropped.

"Eheheheheheh...perhaps I should try to condense it next time," Aya giggled nervously. 

Before Taikou could rant about it, Enri had already covered his partner's mouth. "Did Hitori not mention a few tourist attractions? 'Wonderland' sounds promising..."

-

~Miaka~

"So we're going to this 'Godstone Road'?" I asked. "Are there any restaurants there?"

"No...but Juri's apartment building is there," Suzaku informed them, as he folded up the map. "And it would be a good idea for me to see where she lives in person..." he cast a worried look at Juri. "Your...parents aren't there right now, right?"

"They're not coming back until 6:00 p.m. The coast is clear," she nodded.

The phoenix god sighed. "That's good. Had me worried there for a second. Phew..." he rubbed his hands together in glee.

The oracle just stared at him. "What _are_ you thinking?" 

"N-Nothing! Nothing...why would you say that?"

CLAMPraven whistled. "Wow. First few minutes since a f*cking realm change, and they're already having another lovers' bout. How irritably typical."

"If you're just going there because you know my TV has better reception than yours, so that you could watch your hentai films the whole day - "

"No! Hell, no! HELL, no!! It's...it's not like that at all!!"

Juri folded her arms and glared at him in the eye. "_REALLY..._"

"YES!! ...Aw, crap." Suzaku cursed, knowing the scheme was out.

Chiriko blinked, completely lost. "H-Hentai? Hentai films??"

The small girl grinned, winking. "Doesn't really matter to me. Just had to make you admit it. You can watch it if you want."

Suzaku raised an eyebrow. "NANI?! Seriously? I can watch my hentai films at your house?!" He hugged her, laughing all the while. "I can't believe it! A girlfriend who's actually tolerant about HENTAI, gods, of all things!!"

As the phoenix god finally let go of her, Tamahome scooted up to the redhead. "Ne...Suzaku-seikun, what's all this about 'hentai films' you're talking about?"

The god smirked wickedly. "Interested? I thought you might like the idea..."

(WHACK!!!) "TAMAHOME!!!"

"OW!! MIAKA!!! What???"

Something about the way this day started made me think this was going to be very bizarre in deed...even for a group of Konnanese tourists with magical powers, red symbols, and testosterone-driven urges. If they're not dying of evil then they're dying of one another, and me having to stop all this was inevitable, but it can get pretty awful at times.

But...well. Just a day in the life of a Miko, ne?

-

~Chichiri~

"Looks like two of our groups have already teleported to where they wanted to go, no da," I pointed out, seeing flashes of light a little beyond the fountain. "How shall we decide, na no da?"

Irasa scratched her chin, as she looked the map over. "Well, since we know next to nothing about this area, it would be easiest to choose by random." She stared questioningly at Byakko. "Excuse me for saying this, but there are so many buildings in this place...where do they keep the wild rabbits and pigs? I'm hungry..."

Sweatdropping, Byakko pointed to one section of the map. "The Metro Zoo is here, but I think that what you have in mind would be illegal. We'll stop by Pacific Mall on our way back, Irasa, okay?" He turned to the others. "Any other suggestions?"

Seiun grunted. "Youngsters, hm! Can't make up their minds. I wish to see this 'Niagara Falls' place."

Immediately Tasuki froze, dropping his tessen. "...F-Falls...?! As in...f*cking...water?!?"

"Well, if we can't go to the falls, and we can't go to the zoo..." Byakko narrowed his eyes, clearly bartering for the easiest way out of this indecision. "Then how about the CN Tower? It's the highest point in this entire city. That should be interesting." 

Tama-neko hissed. Everyone stared at Mitsukake.

"Now what?!" Tasuki cried, brandishing his tessen warningly.

"Unhand the tessen, Tasuki, na no da. We have to respect everyone's opinions, no da," I pointed out.

"I'm guessing Tama-neko isn't too fond of heights, either..." The healer figured. "What other options does this leave us with?"

"Hm...none?" Seiun offered. 

"I say we f*cking split up, if this is what we're going to do!!" Tasuki stood up. "Byakko, Mits, and Irasa can go see their precious Niagara Falls. If you don't like the damn heights, I'll go with Seiun and Chichiri!! We'll duplicate the map and shit, then take off without anyone noticing." He folded his arms. "Now, don't f*cking look at me like that, Tiger...no one would know! Hell, what could go wrong?!"

-

"Anything can go wrong, na no da..." I whimpered as we set up for teleportation, making sure only Seiun could hear. "With all due respect for Tasuki, we should at least borrow a Mikoto from the fourth group, to guide us around, no da! Without a guide, we could get lost, hurt, or even - "

"Hm! WE can get around fine, hm!" Seiun muttered. "Personally, I'd like to teach that ignorant pyro a lesson before the day is over, hm!" He chuckled, a plan brewing in his head, and a particularly nasty smile on his face. "This is going to be fun..."

I stared at him, then at the unsuspecting Tasuki, then back at him. "Isn't that a bit..._cruel_, no da?"

Seiun blinked innocently. "_Cruel_? _ME_?!" He grinned evilly. "Whatever gave you _that _idea, hm?"

It was at that point that I realized I didn't know which was worse. Stuck with Tasuki, Seiun, or having to die in the Battle of Shin'ai. 

And that was a very blunt understatement, as I would realize only a few hours later...

-

~Seiki~

"The third group just split up, and half of them took off without a heavenly guide, no da," I narrowed my eyes at the spot where they used to be. "I'll bet my cloak, my floating ribbons and chains that they'll be mobbed, robbed from, pinched, and severely stunned in their mentalities before the day is done, no da."

Hitori raised an eyebrow at me. "Add in that prehensile tail of yours and you've got a deal."

I glared at him. "No, seriously, na no da."

"Given that each of those groups went to a different location, I think we should use the method of deduction, don't you?" Akira asked Suzano.

"Well, given that we're both the same person, I think you know that I'll say yes, don't you?" Suzano retorted.

They both laughed. We sweatdropped. Exasperatedly, I pulled their ears again for good measure. 

"I get the feeling that that will be a reoccurring theme today," Kano sighed, "but they do have a point. We'd better not go where the others have gone." He narrowed his eyes, a scheme hatching. "But I do think we ought to go to the Toronto Metro Zoo..."

"The zoo, no da?" I raised an eyebrow incredulously. "But Kano, we're Mikotos, na no da. We can see the animals for free anywhere else...and besides, I thought you didn't like seeing animals in captivity, no da."

"He doesn't." Hitori rolled his eyes. "If anything, he wants to free the animals..."

My eyes bulged out in horror. "FREE THE ANIMALS, NO DA?!? What are you, insane, na no da?!"

Kano smirked. "Hitori?" 

All eyes turned to our nefarious, satanic leader, who came _this close _to killling all of Juri's minions, banishing half of the heavenly deities, destroying free will of love, and hurling the bonds of the Koudoutai to hell. Surely a man of his caliber would have the moral dignity, pride, and willpower to deny such an incredibly mad request?

Then, of course, Kano started to make teary puppy eyes, Hitori's face turned the shade of a tomato...and I decided, very wisely, to rethink that.

"Tell me this isn't happening, na no daaaaaaaaaa..." I nearly slapped myself.

"Not unless we're all delusional!!" The twins immediately piped up in tandem. "Or maybe we drank too much liquor at the party, in which case, we only have ourselves to blame!!"

I wanted to kill myself. 

_/This...is going to be one of those really, REALLY bad days. When Kano puts his pacifist mind on something, he is more likely to keep his word than Hitori. And although that's not saying a lot, it did sort of mean a death sentence to the rest of us, who just happened to be innocent bystanders in the wrong place at the wrong time, while a certain Mikoto of freedom was plotting to help Mother Nature in new and exiting ways...not unlike the thrill of jumping off a cliff./_

_/So just remember, Seiki, that if the Torontonian sun sets upon a metropolis that looks as though it's been trampled by something just slightly larger than Gozilla...know that it's your cue to whack the twins. HARD./_

* * *

_And so, the mayhem begins!! First stop, Paramount Canada's Wonderland!! (drumroll)_

_Like any theme park, there are certain thrills to Wonderland, and Juri herself had only gone to the place about a thousand times, dragged along by her school/friends/lousy two-bit summer camps. Of course, she never quite got a chance to go with her family, for her mother feared for her father's health (he once bumped his head in the skating rink and didn't get up, so Juri didn't dare question her about that), and would rather skip down to meet Osama's terrorists before riding on the spinning teacups (they do go kinda fast, so she can sort of see her point, but...)._

_Now, it is up to Taikou, Enri, Nuriko, Hotohori, and Aya to grace the wonders of an amusement park, and what was their first response...?_

* * *

~Hotohori~

"Spite me, kill me, skewer me alive, but YOU CAN'T MAKE ME GO ON THAT THING!!!"

"Aw, but come on, Hotohori-sama..."

"NO!! NO NO NO NO -"

"Don't worry about it! I'll ride with you!!!"

"That's supposed to make me feel better about it, right?! Not the fact that you'll hug me in the middle of the drop and take away my air supply, RIGHT?!"

"Don't worry so much about it; your fear is completely understandable," Aya dismissed my evident fear with a wave of his hand. He seemed especially cheerful as she managed to bypass the entrance with what he called a 'discount' for children. "Most people are afraid of bungee jumping, and I don't see why not," he stared up at the huge contraption. "People do die on these things, you know, and they have died on this one before." 

"..."

"Hotohori, close your mouth, you'll look like a bullfrog, and then even Nuriko and Houki wouldn't like you anymore," the Mikoto sighed. I don't know what I looked like at the moment, but it couldn't have been pleasant...I'm pretty sure my eyes were bulging out further than they'd ever gone before. "Look, the rides in this park are guaranteed to be 99 percent safe...er, very, very safe," he added, seeing my confusion at percentage. "You are definitely going to like it if you try it! People ride these things for the fear and the anticipation!!"

He sighed dreamily, as the three people riding were let down and three more hoisted up. The 'bungee jumping' mechanism was a single cord, held up by a gigantic metallic arch that stood high up above the ground, towering above the loops and the spins of the other metallic rides. The riders are strapped inside, and lifted up by another rope, then the rope would snap and the people would fly out, screaming when they narrowly miss the ground. And of course, if they by chance did hit the ground...the end result was obvious. "Isn't it great?"

After opening and closing my mouth dumbly several times with no result, I managed to produce one word. "...OUT."

"But - "

"OUT!!!!" A few more tries, and I could gradually say the word with a bit more force. "We are not staying...in this place...with t-t-that THING...!!!" I glared murderously at the huge arch, as though pretending that it was Hitori's face (and succeeding).

"Ooooooooh!! Sweets!" Taikou's eyes lit up at a nearby vendor, completely ignoring my despair. 

"Aw, isn't that cute?" Aya noted his enthusiasm with great esteem, and slipped a few coins into Enri's hand. "Go ahead, buy your boyfriend something nice...but make sure he doesn't eat too much before we go on the rides. I already told you about the money system on the way here, right? Oh, and if you have trouble, just call me over..."

"Excuse me?!" I screamed as the two monks headed out. "What about ME and MY PROBLEM?!"

By now, the Otomeza no Mikoto's lips were pursed, looking extremely fed up. "Take a number! Nuriko?"

Within seconds, I had been hoisted up by the purple-haired crossdresser's arms, who chattered away cheerfully at all the huge rides, while I screamed bloody murder, waving my arms and attracting a lot of unwanted attention, but Aya? Didn't budge. Once.

"I think by now..." Enri commented wryly at me a little after I stopped screaming (Taikou was next to him, munching away happily at a strange bar, which he called a 'strawberry Popsicle'), "...you can expect him to have a bit of a grudge against you. Come off it, Hotohori. Just try the rides, and you might even like them...!"

I narrowed my eyes incredulously, feeling sick to my stomach as we came across one of the largest ones, a monster metal contraption dangling above the water (which sprayed up in columns every few seconds) by the name of 'Cliffhanger'. "And if I don't?"

He grinned mischievously. "Then play along and keep your mouth closed, whether it's profanity coming out or something much, much worse..."

-

~Jenny (not so much an akugi, this...but oh, well. (whistles)) ~

It was hard to tell exactly what I was feeling as we rounded up on the apartment on Godstone Rd. 

It wasn't the friendliest place in the world...wasn't even much of a neighborhood...generally, you get two kinds of people around Toronto. The first category is people living in houses, on the outskirts of the Greater Toronto District, who get to know each other, borrow sugar from each other and greet you as you're coming down the sidewalk. I am told such a place exists, though if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes when I visited a friend's family, I would've thought such a place was either heaven or extinct.

The other category is the working class apartment people, a classification most Torontonians fall under, in which you don't know your neighbors as anything other than 'the fat lady', 'the Russian and his Pekingese dogs', or 'the lesbians living near the elevator', and you'd be lucky to enter a school without having someone utter a profanity in the first five minutes. This...would be my kind of place. 

But it was still...home, as cliché as that may sound, and even though little time had passed since I'd left it in this world, the truth was I'd spent more than a week away from home, and with everything that had been going on, it seemed like more. I'd slept, ate, and shed blood in a universe that is considered non-existent to the people around me, and even though I'd never forget it...

This is where I can find myself all over again. The real me, the one who isn't some fancy oracle, who doesn't fight with the candles of the dead...but rather, the contemplative, private little girl that I had thought I left behind.

My grip tightened on my lantern, and I knew I was crying.

"Mom...Dad...I can't believe I'll see them again in only a few more hours..." I whispered, emotions flowing through my veins so vivid I'd never felt such longing in my life.

I was going to see my parents again. I was going to see my _parents..._

I remembered Dad, with his practicality and his strict attitude. Although he had a kind, goofy type of smile when he works at the company, he had the hardest poker face when he's at home, and sometimes his face was just plain unreadable. He never seemed to be satisfied with my efforts in school, and (despite the fact that there were two of us) scolded the women of the family on a daily basis. 

After a while, since we always knew he was probably right and we were probably wrong as usual, we figured we'd just go along with what he said...even though he is hard to live with because of it, and we often resent him for being so...well, _right_. He had a degree in chemistry, I believe, even though I never asked him about the specifics...which was why I always went to him if I had a math or science question (even if it was risking him yelling at me for not understanding something 'sooooo simple').

He was a moral man, a family man...hard-working as hell. On the other hand, he was also a daredevil, a risk-taker, though gods know he didn't look it. He'd try anything, do anything that looks interesting or adventurous. He was an athlete when he was younger, and traveled all across England when I was but a little girl of 6 (no accents, though)...he was a contemporary person, who'd ride roller coasters with me, had it not been that he wasn't as young as he felt, and his body was a bit weak nowadays. 

He loves watching films of the army and the war...but there's a side of him we still hadn't figured out, a side that loves romantic movies. We realized it at first when he watched 'First Knight' on TBS Superstation, and was so fascinated by the love triangle that he rambled on about it at lunch, until Mom pinched him for it...we figured that he might've been that type of a person, somewhere deep inside.

I also remembered Mom, who was a lot more simple, compared to old spontaneous Dad. She was not so much a risk-taker as Dad, but just as hard-working. She was smart, and she wasn't afraid to be smart...excelling in literature, since she took the degree back in China, and taught English to Mandarin-speaking students, she had come a long way from being a country girl working back down in the farm. 

Mom often got criticized by Dad, for not being able to find the instant noodles in a Chinese shop, for not being able to drive as well as other people, and for being a dreamer...but she tried very hard, just like any Chinese mother would. She would sometimes wonder, when we were by ourselves in our home when I was younger, why she married Dad, and I'd wonder it, as well...but as I got older, I was able to give her an answer: it was either reverse psychology or the bag of green apples he gave her on their first date. It was true, however, that Mom was just as smart and just as capable as Dad was, and she certainly was better trained in speaking English (She read everything from Henry James to Shakespeare, to Gordon Korman and J.K. Rowling...and she's still going on strong.)

Mom was easily scared. She hated horror movies. She hated thrills and scary things...she'd have nightmares after watching murder cases on television, and of course, it was laughable, but she really was the cautious one. We'd try and get her to take risks...but most of the time, she'd just scowl at me, pinch Dad, and stumble off to bed.

Instead of going out to see the world, she dreams of it from her bedroom window...daydreaming or sleeping (and she slept like a log, believe you me). You could call her lazy, you could call her crazy (whenever we went on walks, she'd stop by the houses and marvel, asking 'why can't I have a house like that?'), and you could call her a fool (she buys lottery tickets on a weekly basis), but hell, halfway along the DNA helix, I was exactly like her, after all.

We were certainly a strange family. Smart and talented, but...

"Oy, Juri!"

I snapped out of my thoughts. "Eh?"

"'Eh?' 'EH?!'" CLAMPraven smacked me. "You really are a Canadian in your subconscious, aren't you?! Now quit daydreaming, damn it!! Suzaku already went in, with Tamahome, Chiriko, and Miaka!!" She pointed to the door.

"Suzaku went in? But how did he go in without the keys?" Fumbling in the pockets of my faded jeans, I felt a piece of plastic - my library card - and an old secondhand wallet that carried my three keys. They were in my pocket the entire time I was out of Toronto...it was a wonder I didn't lose them along the way. "He didn't steal mine..."

CLAMPraven seemed to be morally offended. "Well, isn't that just a stupid question!! HE'S A F*CKING GOD!! Shit, how the hell did I ever end up dying for you, anyhow?!" She grinned. "Get a move on!"

Even as we walked along, through the first door, and opening the second with my key, I could see Suzaku and the others waiting for me in the foyer. Miaka was examining herself in the mirror, while Tama examined his many reflections like they were foreign monsters...or Tasuki, depending on which one was worse for him, poking them and sticking his tongue out (there was one mirror on one side of the room, and an adjacent one on the other side, facing one another...if you ever look into one mirror, it reflects your front, then reflects what the other mirror reflects, and bounces back and forth, leaving you with a row of reflections). 

Suzaku leaned against the side of one mirror, listening to the radio coming out of the speakers on the ceiling with that same sophisticated silence and cocky grin I always recognized him by. Chiriko was studying everything, running back and forth like a curious pink-haired hamster, from the lights, to the speakers, to the fire alarm (which Suzaku warned him not to push, but I think he had to restrain himself really hard), and up at the light that indicated what floor the elevator was going to be on, jabbering underneath his breath in amazement.

A few kids came in, pushing their bikes into the foyer. They chatted about what happened in their day, and what episode of Yu-Gi-Oh! was broadcasting tonight, which nearly made me giggle. Nostalgia, I think. Some of the kids stared at us weirdly, and told Chiriko off rudely with a sneer when he asked how the lights worked. 

Suzaku looked like he had to bite his tongue not to reach out and strangle them for all they were worth.

I felt as though he was trying to protect Chiriko, not just because he was a Suzaku seishi, but because he was my former koi. I recalled that they had a conversation about me, the night Hitori attacked us for the first time...in which Chiriko gave me up to Suzaku because he was so mature. Because of that, Suzaku must see the little boy as an equal, even though he looked small enough to be his son. A kawaii thought.

I stared up at the glowing numbers on the top of the two elevators. 5 and 14. 

"Never felt better...huh?"

There was a loud crash behind me, splitting the silence. Turning around, I saw that the kids who were bullying Chiriko had been tossed through the superintendent's glass door, and now the super was swearing at them in Cantonese as they ran out of the building, not even bothering to pick up their bikes. While CLAMPraven laughed at the scene, I glared at Suzaku, who whistled innocently.

"You know, one more act like that and I just might ditch you," I warned him. 

"And one more quote like that and you'll become my mother," he retorted, smirking as an empty elevator came down. "Shall we go?"

It was then that I realized that I was just like my mom, and Suzaku was just like my dad...never quite getting along perfectly, with reverse psychology becoming the matchmaker. And I very nearly wanted to die on the spot.

Holy shit, I'm making similes with my relationship and my parents' relationship.

WHAT HAVE I BECOME?!?

-

~Byakko~

"Well, here we are!" I gestured to the magnificent falls below us. "Niagara Falls! And while normally, I'd have a problem with the water, being half-cat and all, this place is always quite the soothing look-out spot, ne?"

"I must admit, there was nothing like this back in Konan," Mitsukake murmured as a calm breeze tousled his hair. 

It was true. Even Tama-neko didn't seem to mind the roar of the rushing waters. A rainbow had formed above the ark of the falls, just to the side of the bridge that connected the American and Canadian borders. Niagara Falls was truly a tranquil place. Despite the tourists, the tourist ships, the tourist hikes, the tourist restaurants, the cars full of tourists on the screaming highway - 

"Eeeeeww..."

"Wha-?" I quickly turned around. "Irasa?" 

The Medusa girl was leaning over the ledge, a disgusted look on her face. She was pointing down to a small blob of unidentified white...liquid on the ground below us, right where the tide hit the ground. "You don't take very good care of your natural wonders, do you?"

I sighed, patting her on the back. "Irasa, as disgusting as some of the garbage around here is, this is the way people pollute, this is the way we continue to pollute, and there is nothing you can do...about...it...um...Irasa, please...stop staring at me like that...please...?"

The girl had fixed me with a glare that clearly told me to reconsider. 

It was then that I remembered she used to be a chambermaid in the palace, a servant responsible for the cleanliness of the palace. And suddenly, I became very, very afraid...

"We have to do something about this!" She barked. By now, her hand was already reaching into her pocket, and pulling out a long rag. "We can't just allow these people to do that to the water! Why, if this was in the palace, heads would've already been flying around..."

"No no no, Irasa, wait a second..."

"I say we take ACTION!"

"Irasa...! Watch out! Don't - "

"I'm going!! Oh, for Suzaku's sake, don't people care about the environment anymore?"

"IRASA!!"

By now, the girl had already slung herself over the rail, muttering curses. Tourists around us were starting to scream, and I rushed in to grab her -

(BANG!!)

(THUMP)

"Damn!!!! Thath washn't fairrr!! Didn'th even shee ith coming!!" I wailed, my jaw feeling like it was disconnected, holding my chin where her shoe had connected with my face. Good lord...couldn't even pronounce properly... "IRHASAH!!" 

"Hold still," Mits warned me, propping me up to a sitting position as a green light protruded from his fingertips, making everyone around us gasp even more. "I still have my powers, since Miaka's still Miko...I'll fix that little enunciation problem...but don't speak!"

"Aaarrrrghhhhh..."

"Don't speak!"

"AARRRHGHH..."

Ah....stoppanickingstoppanickingstopOWOWOWOWOWOWOWWWWWCH!! Ugh...

Of course, meanwhile, Irasa was clambering down the vertical ledge at the speed of light, Spider-man style. Around us, I heard people crying for help and dialing for the police. One woman in particular, with long light hair...

My eyes bulged out. "That looks like..."

"_...Shoka?!_" Mits whispered, almost possessed, as the woman came closer. 

"Oh, my gosh...are you alright?!" She had a stroller in hand, and inside it a baby of about eight months. She was tall, and a bit frail, her physique willowy and her eyes concerned. "Are either of you hurt? Do you need help?"

Of course, Mitsukake responded almost immediately. 

"SHOKA!" He cried, leaping up to hug the woman, and dropping my head - with no word of warning whatsoever - on the hot cement, where it baked in the sun.

"OW!!!"

"Hey, you guys!" By this time, Irasa had crawled back up the tall, steep wall, and was leaning over me with a questioning gaze...and the very disgusting dripping rag that she used to wipe the mess up and now dangled over my nose. "The grime was a little tougher than I thought...do you have another towel?"

_Control...control...YOU'RE A DIGNIFIED, WELL-RESPECTED GOD...you CANNOT, WILL NOT cry..._

"Waaaaahhh..." I cried on the spot, as the sun beat down on this strange scene and the police's footsteps approached. "Why didn't I listen to Juri...?! Why? Uaaaaaaaaagh..."

* * *

**(...)**

**(CLAMPRAVEN ~ !!!!)**

Aw, crap. So sue me...I think I've forgotten how to write comedy altogether!!

**(Ah, shit. Well, ladies and gentlemen, this is what happens when you spend nearly a month plotting out a sophisticated and tragic ending, only to let it result in a kick in the pants. Nothing like plot twists...but there is, of course, always the threat of not remembering how to write in diverse genres!)**

Stop rubbing it in!

**(Nyet. (blows raspberry))**

_Suzaku: Besides, you know you're supposed to stay a good distance away from the fic until the end! (drags her away) And you know we don't give a rat's ass what you say! You're still not mentally healthy enough!!_

HOW THE HELL DO YOU KNOW?! (kicks Suzaku) Let GO!! Waaaaahh, my ficcie...(is dragged backstage, handcuffed, blindfolded, gagged, and tied in a straightjacket with Anpanman logos all over it.)

**(..........................(clears throat) Riiiiiiight. Well, now that THAT's over...(raises sign saying we don't own Anpanman, with a little logo of the anpan-filled superhero beneath the logo) And yes, we do exploit everything we've disclaimed, no questions asked. (nods vigorously))**

**(Thank you all for sticking around! And for those of us who have forgotten that the fic is still running, it is your mission to drag them back!! (raises a threatening finger) They must be here for the second part, and the bloopers, and the parody, and the credits, and the...(rambles on))**

-CLAMPraven 


	44. And Now, to Screw up the Whole Damned Pr...

**"Juri"**

**-from girl to oracle-**

**By CLAMPraven**

**SPECIAL COLLECTION**

* * *

~ And Now, to Screw up the Whole Damned Production! ~

Part 1 of the Legend of Juri Special - Toronto (2)

* * *

(sighs heavily) Can you believe I'm almost as afraid of writing this part as I was writing the dramatic 'Legacy (2)' ?

_Suzaku: (sweatdrops) Damn it, CLAMPraven...just can't stay away from here, can you?!_

Sorry, Suzaku, but...oh, I can't believe I'm doing this ~ ! It's just that this chapter is so overwhelming...the responsibility of making something funny. I never thought the job of a tearjerker/romantic/comedic fanfiction writer could've been so difficult...especially with school kicking in and my procrastination stage still not wearing off...and believe me, I'd know...I left nearly half of my homework at school today. The first day!! Teach's gonna kill me! Now, I realize that it's mostly my own fault, but after running back to the school only to find that my homeroom was locked up was not a pleasant situation...you feel me, right?

_Suzaku: CLAMPraven...your school is a five-minute walk from your house._

Aw, that's not the point! The point is, I do NOT feel like writing today, especially something this important. But if I don't start now, I'll fall so far behind I wouldn't know what to do...!

(shakes head) You know, Suzaku, it's really hard to inform people of how wonderful Toronto is, let alone make it hilarious in the process, the way people used to expect it. Ne? (grins sadly)

_Suzaku:................................You want a hug, right?_

(sniffles)

_Suzaku: Ain't gonna happen. (glares wryly) Not after that date you set me up with. (long pause) Ewww. I just grossed myself out...(wrings hands with the morally-deprived grimace that most straight men wear after being on a gay date)...still can't believe it...Ikari Gendo!! I had to f*cking drive Ikari Gendo to a luxury 5-star restaurant where all the famous anime stars were gathering - I swear to god, Ifurita was looking at me weird, and even Lina and Gourry stopped eating to stare!! Yes, the supreme gorging team!! And then, I had to walk the guy back to NERV while Asuka hid out in a bush taking blackmail pictures - and don't think I didn't notice her, either!! Damn...I still can't believe you did that to me!_

(confused) O.O But Watase-sama did it, not me!!

_Suzaku:................................(rolls eyes) -_-;; She's the airhead. Not me, her. Not me, HER._

_Suzaku: In any case...the second part of Toronto. And while that was less of an introduction than the prologue we wrote for this damn fic in the first place - and you will have to excuse us for this corny bullshit, minna - I'll have to take what I've got in the Special Collection...one frigging intro before I go back to nursing CLAMPraven. It is 'Special' (quote-unquote), after all. (shrugs)_

Why can't you just admit it? (elbows him) You truly do love me, as much as you love Juri, somewhere underneath all those chicken feathers and fluff balls in your brain! Right? Aw, come on, Suzaku, spare me a smile! Even Tamahome spares a smile to Miaka when she's being a faithful romantic! Even Tasuki spares a smile to Roku - I mean, ROKU KYU, after she gives him one of her famous lectures in 'Casting Stones'! Come on, you know you want to follow suit...(nudges him again) Eh? (grins)

_Suzaku:...............................This really is one of your off days, isn't it? (chuckles dryly and grabs her by the ear) Come on, back to the straightjacket we go..._

-CLAMPraven 

* * *

~Tasuki~

"S-S-Shit ~ !!" I squeaked, latching onto Chichiri's arm instantly. "WHAT THE HELL?!?!?"

The blue-haired monk sweatdropped. "You should've known, Tasuki...it is a tower, after all, no da."

"F*ck you!! This is freakish!!!" 

A heavy sigh. "Well, you were the one who suggested us splitting up and coming here in the first place, na no da. Now, can you please, _please _let go of my arm? People are staring, no da..."

"You know what's so shameful about a visit like this, hm?" Seiun grinned, obviously very happy with my current condition (damn him!). "There aren't any of those wonderful machines that Aya kept telling me about before we split up. 'Cameras', he called them, hm? No, wait..." his face practically lit up, as he saw one in the crowd, and promptly chased after the tourist, "...excuse me! Miss? Can I borrow that, hm? Just for a second..."

"Oh, hell no, you don't!!! SEIUN, you BASTARD!!" I screamed, nearly reaching out enough to trip on my own feet, but still clutching onto Chchiri. I knew damn well what a camera was...last time Miaka used one on the seishi, we all learned. 

I was standing on glass.

On one of the highest floors of the CN Tower.

Underneath the glass was a view of trees and tiny ant people, and the prospect of a drop that would kill you real fast and easy. Good for suicide attempts, but otherwise, a f*cking nightmare. We were at the top of the 'CN Tower', where they built the glass, for the sole purpose of scaring the shit out of people. 

And hell, does it ever do its bidding.

I was told that this was very heavy, thick, strong glass, enough to hold 5 rhinoceros, but as I had no f*cking idea what the hell a 'rhinoceros' was, I was....well...shit. How the hell does a person even say this?!

I guess the closest expression would be that I was terrified enough to do something as crazy as run the hell back to Mits and the others in f*cking Niagara Falls. Yes, the f*cking _water_. And I would've _dived._

But noooooooo...

And damn it, but if Chichiri hadn't volunteered to stand on death row - ahem, the glass surface with me, I would've done just that. Godforsaken Juri's world...what the hell was wrong with all these people?! If they could build such a big-ass tower, why couldn't they have built something useful, like SOLID FLOOR?! Motherf*cking - 

"Say cheese!"

(CLICK!)

"Daaaaaa..." Chichiri's jaw dropped as a small square photo popped out of the digital camera, held by the tourist lady Seiun had called over.

I stared in disbelief.

The woman's skin was a dark, smooth brown, almost midnight black, something I'd never seen in a person before. Aside from being extremely dark, she didn't even seem to mind it, and handed the picture to Seiun with a flashing smile that nearly blinded me, the way it stood out from her skin. It was f*cking weird...shiny white teeth with a shade that dark?!

Now, I'd seen some very bad tans, and normally, I'd f*cking stay away from anything strange in Juri's crazy world, but THAT...

"WHAT the HELL is wrong with your f*cking skin?!?" I screamed, glaring, pointing, and clutching onto Chichiri even more tightly than before...if I was paying any attention to his mask at all, I would've seen a wince, no doubt about it. "Damn it, Seiun, Hitori ain't kidding!! There's some creepy shit in this place!!"

The woman stared. "Excuse me, but - "

"Damn it!!" Snatching the two monks, one under each arm, I sped the hell away. "AIN'T NEVER GONNA CATCH US!!! F*CKING FREAK!!!"

-

~Hitori~

People would do strange things for love.

I, for one, am no exception.

"Aw, Hitori-chan!! Look at those little kids!" Kano giggled as a line of shrilly-singing kindergarteners (not much smaller than ourselves) walked past the elephant exhibit, smiling toothily. "Aren't they just adorable? Wouldn't it be nice if we could have kids, honey?" He stared at me expectantly.

"..."

"Sweetie...aw, come out of that stubborn pout and say something!" Nudge, nudge. 

/It's the assault of the puppy dog eyes./ There was a long pause, as I tried to inch away from him, but failed miserably. /Crap./

"...............Kids...would be...nice..."

"Aw..." Latching onto my arm, he purred like a kitten...which, naturally, paralyzed me from the waist down. "Listen to him, Seiki!" He reached up and squeezed my cheeks, squishing my face into a clump. "Isn't he just the sweetest little thing? Aw, yes you are, you kitten, you..."

Seiki rolled his eyes, and muttered something indiscernible, but kept on walking. The twins guffawed, as they leapt away in front of the others, in a dancing fashion...damned bastards.

"Kano and Hitori sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N- OW!!" Both of them yelped at the same time, at the golden energy that nipped them in their rears, and whipped their heads around, staring accusingly at me. "HITORI!!"

I shrugged. "Your problem." 

"KANO!" Both of them wailed, like the dirty rats they were, "Hitori's being mean!"

Kano shook his head disapprovingly at me. "Chibi-Nakago-Hitori-chan, you know I love you very very very much, but - " (pinch) " - don't - " (pinch) " - abuse - " (pinch) " - the - " (pinch) " - twins!"

I rolled my eyes, and pretended to wince, just so that he could have his satisfaction and smile again. Yes...that's how bad this was.

Do you see what love does to a perfectly dignified person now?! I couldn't get away from him. Damn it if I could've, but I couldn't. The possibilities of me being Kano's lifelong slave was very real indeed. Holy f*ck, but I could just see myself being his footservant in a few thousand years time, folding his dresses, combing his hair, emptying his bedpan...

I blinked. /I think I finally succeeded in scaring myself./

/Damn me and my utterly moronic inner monologue. What the hell am I thinking? Kano would never need a bedpan./

/Ah...but given that he has complete power over you, Hitori...even if Mikotos don't piss, he might want to try just for the sake of seeing you frown./

/You know, my measly pitiful conscience, you have a point there. Makes me wonder whether this is his innocent cover-up for getting back at me banishing him for gods know how many centuries. Huh. So what do I get out of all this servant crap?/

/...Sex. That's good enough, considering his body's more than enough to satisfy your pedophile extremes and the fact that you have seen his perfect body in the showers before, in its whole ivory splendor. What was he, 6 inches or 7? And what the hell is that in centimeters, I wonder...? I think he was masturbating that time, as well...leaked all over his silky soft legs and everything./

/.../

/.../

/...I can't feel my legs./

"Hitori, na no da?" Seiki poked my head. "You okay? You look a little pale, no da."

"My lower body is completely paralyzed, Seiki. Want to know why it's completely paralyzed?"

"Doushite, no da?"

"I'll tell you why it's completely paralyzed, Seiki. I think I have a hard-on the size of a beanpole. Please direct me to the nearest bathroom before I burst all over you and anyone else starts to get horny."

".....................Daaaaaa." The Uoza no Mikoto sweatdropped, and slapped his forehead. "Somehow, someway, I knew it would come to this, no da. Just around the corner, where we passed those fast food restaurants, no da. But you'd want to come back soon; Kano's freeing all the animal's in a second." He paused, as if wondering what he just said. "Actually....what did I just say that for? Go for as long as you want, and you have my permission to stay in the little boy's room for a fortnight, na no da. To tell you the truth, I should get going as well...no use staying for the chaos of the century...you need some help, no da? It'll give me an excuse..." He grinned hopefully. 

"No, no..." I pondered this over. "Stay for a bit. Watch the twins. Pull their ears. But don't mess around with Kano's pure motives. He is freeing the animals for a reason, regardless of how senseless that reason may be, of course..."

"...You're standing up for him on this one, too, aren't you, no da?" Sad look.

"Consider it an act of romantic insanity." A firm nod. 

"You're pathetic, na no da!!"

-

~Taikou~

"AAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!!" I screeched in pure joy, as the ride pulled to a stop. "THAT WAS WICKED!! That was so wicked! Wasn't it wicked?"

"Shut up..." Enri gasped, trying to catch his breath. The ride had now entered the tunnel, and we were only a few seconds from being let off. But to the others, it couldn't have come soon enough. "Just...shut up...and let us...breathe...!!"

The roller coaster ride, called 'Vortex', was a humongous track that climbed, dropped, and looped around the mountain, while the trains were suspended in midair, swinging wildly left to right as our feet dangled above both land and water. It was, according to Aya, one of the only ten suspended roller coasters in the world, and the only one in the whole of Wonderland...having only experienced about 4 other roller coasters before this, I was only too glad to try. And was it ever worth my time...!

All throughout the ride, I was entertained by screaming, swearing, and Hotohori's barfing noises. Limping off of the train at last, the rest of us were only too glad to give our seats away to the awaiting line, but me?

"Aw, you guys can go ahead!" I smiled, patting the metal of the dangling compartments. "I think I'll stay for one more round!"

"No you won't!!" Hotohori yelled, then went back to retching out his insides into the bag Nuriko had brought. On Cliffhanger, we didn't realize he would have such a bad reaction, and it got all over Nuriko's clothes...which Aya changed, of course, but he wasn't about to take any more chances. "We are LEAVING this INSTANT!! (cough, cough) (hack)"

Nuriko smiled sympathetically, as Hotohori held the bag up to his mouth again, and he patted the emperor's back gently. He seemed to thoroughly enjoy being Hotohori's caretaker. "I don't think he'll ever get used to these things, Taikou. Go easy on trying to freak him out, alright?" 

"On the other hand, you're a natural!" Aya beamed at me, as we exited the platform, and pulled out his map again. "Where do you want to go next? The water park? Minebuster? Wild Beast?"

"Hm..." I considered this, with a wicked smile. "Which one's biggest?"

"TAIKOU ~ !!!" Hotohori roared. "Don't you dare!!"

"I told you," Nuriko sighed. "Hotohori-sama, don't drop the bag..."

I sighed. "Aw, but it's such a good prospect!"

"Well, actually...it's a shame, but..." Aya glanced down at his watch, with a sad little grimace. "It's already close to 7:00, and not enough time leftover to wait for a ride," He gazed around at us critically. "One more stop. What's it going to be, guys?"

At that exact moment, Nuriko's stomach growled. 

Sweatdroppping, he giggled nervously as everyone stared. "Well, we haven't eaten since the feast last night...reasonable, ne? And besides, Hotohori-sama's gone and emptied out his stomach..."

"I guess...that's okay..." I pouted at the lost chance of going on another ride...but I wasn't going to stop trying to rant for my defense!! "Aw...but do we really have to waste our money on expensive park food? Everything's worth twice as much here inside the park boundaries as it is at a normal food outlet, without half the luxury of clean seats and shade. It wouldn't be comfortable nor sanitary if we only went for the quickest solution. And besides, we _are _going to a hotel after we meet up with the others, and they've got to have something there. Depending on which kind of hotel we land with, there could be too much food for you to know what to deal with! Just as long as you get to it before Miaka, of course. So, what's the use of wasting money and time when all that can be accounted for later?"

Everyone stopped to consider this...everyone except Enri, who gazed thoughtfully at me.

"You know, I'm a bit hungry myself...and I did see a store selling funnel cakes nearby..."

"Nani? Really, Enri?" I blinked, surprised. "Then what are we waiting for?!?" 

Everyone else facevaulted. 

"One entire rant...one huge, gigantic rant...the kind of rant you'd normally stick by until your last breath..." Aya winced, picking himself up off the floor, "...and all it takes to undo it is blind puppy love. What is he, the Godfather?! You two are like Hitori and Kano!!"

I tilted my head, confused. "Nani?"

"You see?" Enri smirked, wrapping an arm around my shoulder, which erased all my doubts at once. "It's not impossible for Taikou-chan to listen to reason, after all...now, about those funnel cakes? I wasn't lying when I said I was hungry as well..."

-

~Jenny (again, not an akugi, I repeat, NOT AN AKUGI...ah, f*ck. You'll figure it out.) ~

"Do you think they're done yet?!"

"Knowing _Suzaku_..."

We were up on the 8th floor, at the suite nearest to the fire door...my home. 

As soon as we got in, Suzaku immediately waved his magical fingers and made his entire hentai collection materialize in the living room...and when I say entire, I mean entire. As in, we could no longer see the floor. 

The video tapes covered practically the whole living room, and piled up so high the top of the sofa was almost invisible. Stunned and scared as hell, I could just imagine the look on my parents' faces if they ever see this particular scene. But of course, Suzaku nonchalantly plopped himself up onto the cushions (he was practically swimming in the tapes...they came up to his shoulders), telepathically switched on the TV, and slipped in a particularly juicy volume of 'Cool Devices'. 

Upon seeing the intro, Tamahome's eyes bulged out, and nearly ran head-on into the TV, drooling over the screen; after he was severely electrocuted and our perverse chicken god explained to him that the images were not real, he calmed down...somewhat, sitting down real close to get a good view of the visuals. 

However, after a few short minutes, a very disgusted CLAMPraven started booing and was on the verge of smashing the television in with a chair, but Miaka and I managed to drag her away safely. Chiriko, however, was not so lucky.

"Well, you have to learn the basics of intercourse sometime," I remembered him smirking, as the child genius squeaked at an orgasm. "And these films, Chiriko-chan, these beautiful, plot less treasures of erotic pleasure...are the perfect way to start!" He held up a tape and kissed it, looking a bit stupider than I'd ever seen him.

As a batch of popcorn magically appeared in his hand, and Chiriko's face turned redder than we thought was humanly possible when he realized the sex scenes weren't going to end any time soon, we pulled into my room...

So now, sitting on the wooden floor, were us girls. We'd stayed here for about a few hours now, but it seemed as though no time at all passed by. 

At the beginning, I persuaded Miaka to tell us about the war against Kutou, how it all ended while the two of us were gone...we were shocked at the finale. As our miko sobbed in her narration, I almost wished I hadn't spoken. I almost wished I hadn't been so damned curious...satisfying my curiosity was not worth another's pain. Not like this...

When Soi died (by the hands of Tasuki and Chichiri, leading the army of Konan), Nakago was frozen, just holding her body, his face expressionless...for a long enough time that Yui herself had the opportunity to plunge her own dagger through his chest, killing the shogun.

It was as tragic a tale as it was sadly beautiful.

Because of all the changes that were made to the Universe of the Four Gods when Juri came along, a stronger relationship had developed between Soi and Nakago...and the same between Suboshi and Yui. The blonde miko of Seiryuu had confessed her love, and was so madly addicted to the twin, the only one she ever truly believed in with all her heart ever since she came to that cold, miserable world, after her only friend seemed to have deserted her as well...she no longer wished to live on after he'd died. She had been struggling painfully with herself, to the point where she no longer cared. She plunged the blade into the seishi who'd deceived her, then into herself. 

Miaka was on the battlefield; she'd come along, as motivation for her seishi. Screaming and crying, she tried one last time to reach Yui...

_"DON'T GIVE UP!! Please...Yui, you don't know how much we still love you! There's more beyond this!! Yui..."_

_"Miaka. What a sentimental girl you've always been, loved and adored by everyone around you. I guess it's the reward for being so utterly cute...you'll be happy, won't you?"_

_A smile. One last pitiful smile...but there was no hatred. Not even jealousy. Just a wish, a longing...what kind of demise was this for an honorable girl like her, anyway? What kind of unsightly suicide was this, for someone who had lived through such nightmarish pain, such a stronger woman than everyone knew...?_

_"Be happy. I'll be...I'll see him again. I'll feel love again...goodbye, Miaka."_

Seiryuu was called. But only one wish was fulfilled. Out of the goodness of her heart, Yui had granted the power to keep Miaka and Tamahome together, for as long as they choose to love one another.

That was how beautiful a person Hongo Yui was. 

It was terrifying. CLAMPraven's eyes were watery by the time Miaka finished...she was in tears as well. She'd lost her best friend...permanently. I could only relate to the time when I thought CLAMPraven died for good...but I wasn't there to see her self-destruction. If I'd been there, I wouldn't have been strong enough to hold myself together. 

Miaka saw it with her own eyes.

Tamahome had been there when Yui died, as well...it was he who decided, painfully, that they would have to built a monument in the capital of Kutou, for the girl who had seen so much pain but never understood that she was loved. She was the most powerful, honorable, and just woman the rampaging war country had ever known, never mind the priestess. After the first summoning of Suzaku, in which Miaka felt much too traumatized to ask for decent wishes...the mission was underway.

The only Seiryuu seishi who was alive by that time was Tomo, who had gone into hiding for the longest time after Suboshi died...he'd been with him that day, and he'd nearly gotten killed himself, escaping with almost fatal wounds. It wasn't until he'd seen how horrific it was that he realized even illusions couldn't shield him from death, and he fled from Kutou altogether, around the time the Emperor of Kutou died at the hands of Hotohori. 

By the time they'd found him, he was resuming work at an opera house in the southern districts of Sairo...upon hearing how Yui died, he summed up his courage one last time to lead the now ruler-less empire of Kutou in building a monastery for his miko. Afterwards, he became the advisor for the emperor's nephew, a foolish boy who knew nothing of running the country...surprisingly enough, Tomo was a fox, and as cunning as he was mysterious...under his guidance, Kutou regained its composition and started on a road for better days. All this before we finally arrived...but a couple of weeks after the incident.

In the end, this was why no one had told us. It wasn't as if they'd forgotten. They didn't want to remember. And as tears overflowed my eyes, I realized that this was the same reason why no one at the palace had known the details of the summoning...not even Taikou and Enri. That was why they didn't even know the specifics of the battle. 

No one told.

"It really is sad..." CLAMPraven shook her head in disbelief. "Can't believe we f*cking dared to ask _you_, of all the survivors, Miaka...and this vacation was supposed to be f*cking fun!!"

Miaka shook her head. "It's alright." She sighed heavily. "Yui...Yui-chan will be alright. If she were alive, she would've wanted you to know the truth. She's one of the strongest people I know...even when you compare her with my own seishi. She'll never give up...and she'll see him again. She'll see Suboshi again, when it's due time."

She gazed down at her feet, and wriggled her toes, as if contemplating what best to say at such a melancholy time. Her eyes were bleak, and teary. "Besides...we've had enough time. Just as Kano had forgiven Hitori...we all learned to forgive and forget...I think Yui would be happy, to see us now. Even Tomo forgives us for what we've done, and he's still alive with all this pain of the memories. Even Kutou forgives us." She smiled one of her winning smiles, and made a small, smug victory sign. "We'll live."

All of us were silent for a while. The only sounds were that of the groaning and gasping of the television, a frantic squeak, and Chiriko stumbling for the bathroom.

As the bathroom door slammed shut, I couldn't help but break the uncomfortable silence. 

"Um, you'll have to excuse me for saying this, but..." I struggled to think of something; I was never too good at making conversation. "...how many times can a kid his age and size climax without actual sex in the last three hours?!"

CLAMPraven stared at me as if Portal-chan had just materialized and scooped out the contents of my brain with an ice cream scoop. Miaka stared at me as if I were CLAMPraven. 

We all stared at each other for the longest time, and then as if someone cracked our thick heads open with a mallet all at once, everyone burst into laughter.

"Holy f*cking shit ~ !!!" CLAMPraven whacked me upside the head, as Miaka clutched her side, and fell over shrieking with mirth. "Wasn't he your f*cking boyfriend?! Give him some credit, would you?!"

In the living room, I could hear the ending music to 'La Blue Girl', and Suzaku dragging Tamahome off the TV...

-

_A few minutes later..._

-

"What do you mean, you put my parents 'on hold'?"

We had now exited the building, Suzaku skulking that he hadn't been able to get started on any more tapes, and Miaka furiously dragging a paralyzed, twitching Tamahome away. Having taken one last good look at the gray building on Godstone Rd., a realization hit me. 

Where the hell were my parents, if it was already almost 7:00, and they were supposed to be home by 6:00...?!

"Well, it's actually quite simple," The phoenix god smirked at me, looking thoroughly pleased with himself. "What, you don't think I've got at least some powers of mind control? I did a little spell as you were busy with your girl talk in your room, so I was able to play around, patching things up a bit...and according to your parents, they are attending a late night conference, and you have already left to go to your best friend's house for a sleepover." He winked. "Pretty smart, ne?"

"Watch how you mess with my parents' heads, Suzaku-chan," I warned him, as we all stood around in a circle, and a shimmering light emerged from his hand. "Don't be inserting any hentai thoughts; they haven't used condoms in about 15 years now."

"Don't be a pain in the ass; trust me!" Suzaku smiled, as the light of transport surrounded us, and then, as if an afterthought, he added with awe in his voice, "A Ph.D. in chemistry and two master degrees, not to mention both of them gorgeous...damn, but that's a better DNA helix than the ones we got from Taiitsu-kun..."

"SUZAKU..."

-

~Irasa~

Mitsukake had spent about the last hour or two with the woman who looked like Shoka. 

He's still not done yet.

Apparently, Susan (I think her name was) was exactly like Shoka used to be: tall, willowy, shy but as sweet as she ever was, maybe more. All this...except for the teensy weensy fact that she has a baby - single, though! After Byakko finally stopped whimpering and whining, she and Mits sat down together to talk a bit. Or a lot, depending on what you'd expect out of someone who looks as though they'd seen a reincarnation of their former lover.

A lot. 

Which naturally meant that even though Mitsukake was normally a stoic old bean, he jabbered on about Susan...

...A lot.

To me.

Even though he knows I'm deaf and can't read his lips that fast.

Yes, that was how happy he was. Now, normally, I'd sit down and try to decipher what he was saying, since he looked simply overjoyed...when I was staring at him, just going on about the woman, he even seemed to look younger smiling. I wished I could've stayed with him, but a chance to get out and see another world was one in a million! 

So I took the boat ride.

And followed the hikers.

And took the boat ride.

And cleaned up the garbage.

And took the boat ride...no, just kidding. But I did go out, trying to find Byakko, though. Ever since he got up from the ground and made the police disappear, he'd simply vanished. And now the sky was darkening and the sun was sliding shyly away back behind the distant horizon, soon to hide its pretty face from the world. It was going to be evening soon...what would it be like if we couldn't find Byakko? 

But it would seem as if I'd found him.

Sitting down behind a small table, in a corner near the rest of the stores, the tiger god was surrounded by people, who chattered away happily and handed him what seemed like small coin and scraps of colored paper (I suspected it was money), as he handed to them, in return, small cups, also smiling. 

I narrowed my eyes.

_/People around here sure have a funny way of doing business.../_

He then checked his watch, and his eyes bulged out. Quickly, he gathered up his merchandise, and with a click of the finger, the people were gone.

I blinked in shock as he threw the fold-up table over his head with a mighty toss, and waved at me. 'Irasa! Almost 7:00...we should get going!!'

'What were you doing?!' I hollered back, confused. 'What did you do to those people?'

'Aw...I just sent them away, that's all...I didn't kill them, if that's what you mean!'

'They were a bit stupid, weren't they? Buying cups from you....'

He laughed. 'No, no, Irasa...the money was for the lemonade, _in the cups..._people drink it to keep cool on such a hot summer day. Interesting, huh?' As the distant roaring falls seemed to fade away in conversation, he walked over to me, smirking. 'I know, I know...Suzaku's probably going to laugh, but I didn't even do it for the cash.'

His forlorn cat eyes stared out into the water. The pupils had relaxed in the growing dim, like real cat eyes...even though he could look positively feral in the day, I realized, in the night he was quite handsome, not at all the timid Byakko in the sushine.

'The thing is, I was just experimenting...I always figured that if I can one day make lemonade at Niagara Falls, the tourists would come flocking...even if it was $1.00 a cup. I do this more for the actual satisfaction of knowing I was right, than making myself rich...what would be the point of that, at the godly status I am? Heck...you probably think I'm being a goof, right?' He grinned awkwardly. "Not very mature, trying to sell out lemonade at a buck each when I should've been having fun with the rest of you...'

I smiled in return. 'So how much did you make?'

In answer, he shoved a heavy bag into my arms; even without looking, I could tell by his expression that he had been more than right.

'So...'

'...What is it?'

'If you want, you know...since we have all this money...maybe...'

'Careful, Byakko...I can't read slow lip movement, either...'

'Well, um, you see, you seem nice and all, and...we have gone through a lot together, Irasa, throughout the Battle of Shin'ai...shoot, it's cold out here, but, maybe...with the money, you know...you might want to get...you know, when we get to the hotel...room service? Where the people bring up the food, which costs a lot of money...you can probably guess...and we can eat on the...balcony? As in...a..._date_?" The last part came out barely as a squeak.

I blinked. By now, he was blushing so hard it looked as though he could burst. But I still had one more question.

'What's a date?'

And coincidentally, at the exact same time, something hard fell down from the sky 

'AAAAGH!! You don't - oh, _no._' Tentatively reaching up, he felt the slimy concoction in his hand. 'Tell me a seagull didn't just poop on my head.'

Giggling, I patted him on the back, as he stared murderously at the bird, who had by then flown to safety. "Don't worry so much about it. You can wash it once we get to a hotel. Ne, Byakko?'

Byakko's expression was incredulous, as he muttered curses underneath his breath, his eyes bulging out of his skull, and stormed away in the direction of the restaurants, where Mits would be. I smiled, a tad confused, but happy with the way things turned out.

I don't think I would've been able to say yes to his '_date_', regardless of what it was. But hey...at least he looked funny while he was doing it. What else could I have asked for? Silly Byakko, so unfit for a god...maybe I could make up for it. The money bag was still in my hand...perhaps I could order that 'room service' he was so eagerly talking about...for myself, of course, since he seems so busy fuming right now.

_/With a little luck, he might even ask again,/ _I thought, as a cool night breeze brushed against my face. _/A 'date'...what a silly word!/_

-

~Seiun~

Eventually, the black woman had hunted Tasuki down, and had been screaming in his face for quite a while now. Frankly, I don't think I'd ever seen anyone who could swear as much as him. But this was better payback than even I'd thought of, and that was saying something!

While this was going on, however, we decided to go sightseeing for a bit.

Only thing was...we didn't have a clue, even with the map, where to go. But, hey...that never stopped us before!

Teleporting away randomly, with no idea what's in store whatsoever, Chichiri and I ended up in the middle of a fish market, a women's shower stall, a huge diamond-shaped field (we intercepted a man pitching a ball to another man, who was holding a wooden bat; Chichiri got knocked out, fell over SD, and his face immediately showed up on all the gigantic screens in the stadium...eventually, we learned that we had stopped a game of 'baseball'; to make a long story short, we decided to get the hell out of there as fast as possible), and the middle of a wrestling ring, among other unmentionables.

Soon, we managed to teleport ourselves back, Chichiri nearly fainting from the shock of just having been onstage in front of thousands of people, and I severely disgruntled. It was only afterwards that Juri told us we had just teleported ourselves to a 'concert', and the singer onstage called herself 'Pink'. Yes, the color. Needless to say, we kept this little bit of information to ourselves, but if Taikou ever found out, we'd have to brace ourselves for the longest hyper rant-driven episode in existence...

Suzaku...I digress.

When we got back, Tasuki was nowhere in sight. We set out to find him.

"Six...fifty...hm!" I grunted at the silly time-telling contraption strapped onto my wrist. "What a stupid machine. But we should be going soon, Chichiri, hm! And you know what?"

Chichiri blinked and winced at the sharp sound of glass breaking in the distance, then tapped my shoulder urgently when he saw who was the cause. "Um, Priest Seiun, no da..."

"I think I actually had a good time, hm!" Grinning for the first time in the last few hours, I ignored the screaming people pouring out of a nearby room, and jabbered on cheerfully. "We had no clue what we were doing, and we did get into a lot of trouble, hm...but that wrestling ring we went to was incredible! And the look on your face when that ball got you straight between the eyes, hm! I wonder if they'll show it again on another one of those big screens...such a priceless moment, hm!"

"Seiun, no da - "

"I'd like to do that again someday, hm! Except next time, we'll get a guide, just as we should've before!" I narrowed my eyes. "In fact, it only makes it better that the stupid pyromaniac wasn't causing trouble this time! Now I don't have to throw him off the tower like I thought, hm!! Such a good - "

(CRASH!!)

I froze.

The room in front of us had been destroyed. One could tell that it used to serve famous individuals in days gone by, for the shelves knocked over and crashed upon seemed old and expensive-looking enough to be antiques. Glass was all over the floor, and being held by struggling men in blue uniforms, whom I assumed were officials...

"Leggo!! F*cking baaastards...!!" Tasuki slurred drunkenly, a crooked grin on his face as he swatted at one of the men's heads, with no particular finesse. He brandished a now empty bottle, and...

I blinked.

The shattered glass all around the room were from empty bottles. Empty bottles that used to hold...

_~_

_Less than 5 seconds later..._

_~_

~Chichiri~

"WINE?!?!?" Seiun screamed, dangling a mortified and screeching Tasuki by his leg out of the (double-pane armor-plated) window of the CN Tower. "**WINE?!?! **We leave you alone for a couple of hours, and you guzzle down the entire wine selection of an entire tourist attraction, you CRAZY PYRO BASTARD, HM?!?!?"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!! F*****************CK!!!!" Tasuki's eyes bulged out at the view, and immediately starts to flail in terror. "S-SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!!!! CHIRI?!? **CHIRI!!!!!!!!**"

Standing by the stunned police, I sighed, sweatdropping as this scene went on.

"Even Juri'll never forgive us for this, na no daaaaaa..."

-

~Kano~

"Ah, hello, everyone!" I waved happily at the whole bunch, sitting by the same fountain we'd started from. The sky was now a toned black, shimmering with the night lights and mellow, like liquid glass. It stretched unlimited by boundaries, and overlooked the magnificent metropolis that was Toronto. Behind me were the others in my team...Seiki looking severely angry with what happened at the zoo. 

Aw, poor baby...I made a mental note to make it up to him. It was true, all of it, though, the whole 'setting the animals free' idea...and my, but I don't think I'd ever seen anything quite like it. Creatures of every size and shape, of ever strength and shade, blossoming in a wave of freedom out of the clutches of captivity...that, and the fact that I managed to heal the policemen and the trampled civilians afterwards, was what truly made this day click.

Suzaku noticed us first, then Miaka, and CLAMPraven, Juri and the others...for a moment, I paused, standing there and just observing them. 

They looked so different from before...not just in size and stature, but in beauty and wisdom. It was picture perfect...everyone leaning by the gently splashing fountain, Juri with her pale, gentle features, as soft as death's touch...CLAMPraven, with her huge fiery eyes and sharp nose, resembling a child fighter. Suzaku truly looked magnificent, with his gentle curves and his impeccable gaze, so unlike that of a normal human. Even the miko looked prettier than when she started out, for even though Miaka would always be childishly cute, she now had an air of superiority and strength, and in her eyes you could see that she was powerful enough to stand alone.

Tamahome had his masculine features, his impressive strength of heart, and Tasuki his passionate flare that truly made the Suzaku seishi shine. Nuriko's courageous beauty had matured, his image that of an unearthly seraphim, but his heart still bold, true, and loyal as ever; Hotohori, now a father, looked his part of the emperor, despite his young age, with his imposing figure. Chiriko, who was once just a child, looked fitting for his role, wise in the ways of love and understanding. Mitsukake had outgrown his poker face, and his smile seemed anew, glowing gently. And Chichiri, whom I thought could look no wiser, had taken off his mask to feel the breeze upon his face...I never saw anyone look quite so handsome underneath the stars.

Taikou, the childish monk and fireball of energy, was now calm, and it made such a drastic difference that I found it hard not to gasp; in seriousness, he tears away the outer innocence, revealing the eyes of a traveler, who had seen much more than he appears to. Beside him, Enri's waves of soft mane undulate in the wind, like flowing milk...to see him in his utmost tranquility was astounding, unleashing the motherly person inside. Irasa, though a monster, was still partially a girl, and though her eyes would always look feral, I would always see her as a plain, simple girl, who doesn't realize how pretty she can look in the night; Byakko, in all his godly glory beside her, was pure and untouchable, no longer the sentimental tiger, but the white, saintly beast. 

Even Seiun, who had lost all of his manly good looks with age, seemed to have restored years in his eyes, from the days when he used to be on the battlefield.

I sighed.

Time - and Toronto - could sure change a person. Even with all the Mikotos looking the same, _they_ changed drastically...it was because they were human.

"7:00 p.m....sharp!" Juri exclaimed, looking around expectantly. "Well, I hope everyone had a good time!"

There was a cheer of appraisal. The young oracle beamed with patriotic joy.

"I knew you'd all like Canada!" Suddenly, she paused, and with a look around, narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "And I also hope that no one got into trouble...eh, Tasuki? You look a little drunk, but you're not slurring..."

Tasuki winced. "Well, dangling out of the window of the f*cking CN Tower does sober up a person...I ain't never drinking in this world again!!"

Juri's eyes bulged out dangerously. "I...see..."

"We've got a confession to make, too!!" Akira and Suzano piped up. "Hitori and Seiki let Kano free all the animals in the zoo! Now they're on a rampage all over the city!!"

And as if on cue, a flamingo flew overhead, squawking. Seiki, in a very bad mood indeed, felt inclined to pull the twins' ears for the fiftieth time that day. I sweatdropped.

"Well, I think I might've overdid it a bit with the peace and freedom act..."

Seiki dismissed this with a casual wave of his hand. "Don't worry about it, hm! That's nothing compared to what we did! Not only did I dangle the bastard pyro out the window, Chichiri and I teleported around the city and caused mayhem in public bathrooms, on stages, and in a diamond-shaped park!" He grinned wickedly. "Ah, reminds me of the old days, hm...!"

Juri was furious. Her glare was on the verge of bursting into an all-out assault.

"Any...thing...else...?!?"

"Um..."

"Uh..."

"Well...I sold lemonade, and a seagull pooped on my head!"

"We ate overpriced funnel cakes!"

"Hotohori-sama vomited on the Wonderland rides!"

"Tasuki ran away from a black woman, no da!"

"Mitsukake actually ranted!"

"Really, Mits?!"

"Taikou, please do us all a favor and shut up. You've been talking about the amusement park rides all day..."

"We let Chiriko watch hentai....but then again, you already know that, right?"

"Hitori-chan got an erection!"

"_Kano..._"

"But other than that, I think that's about it!"

There was an extremely long, uncomfortable pause; the only things that dented the silence were the cries of the zoo animals from the distance, and the sound of innocent civilians screaming.

Juri blinked, overwhelmed by the sheer ridiculousness of the situation. Then, finally, in an act of exasperation, she sighed heavily, and closed her eyes, leaning a tired arm on Suzaku.

"Let's just go to the inn..."

Well...at least this was met with approval!

"Okay!"

"Let's go, no da!"

"I wonder if you'll get another one of those erections in bed..."

"_KANO..._"

And that was the story of how we all raised hell in the big city...of course, Suzaku patched things up in the morning, but hey...! It was fun while it lasted...

* * *

_Suzaku: Well, that's that. Lame? Yes. Changeable? We'll have to see..._

Well, at least I lived through that one long enough to tell the tale. 

_Suzaku:.....So...how was school?_

(shrugs) It's the same as usual. (sighs dejectedly). Still rejected by a lot of people, and made a goof of myself. I have to learn to play the French horn right now, even though the teacher's not helping and I'm confused as hell. Richmond Hill has a lot of cute kids, and even the freak who sits next to me with his jar of sea monkeys is trying to get me to lighten up...gaaaah! Why do I have to take everything so seriously!! (grunts) I hate it sometimes, you know?

Trying to impress people...(twiddles thumbs while staring at the sky)...my peers, my parents...should it really matter so much, if I'm trying to be like people I can't be? Should it really matter...? I'm not a normal person...some people think I'm a Chinese Goth. Damn it, I'm not, but I am weird. Like it or not, I am doomed to all things bizarre...such is the path that the famous Bjork followed. But then again, I'm no Icelandic singer...

Is it so bad to be normal? If I'm not supposed to be this abnormal, daydreaming person, what should I be...?

(At this point, CLAMPraven had spaced off a bit, and was once again in one of her otherworldly trances, gazing into oblivion and turning away. A light breeze blows by, but she barely acknowledges it, she's so brain-dead from watching dreams that weren't there...her eyes have a strange misty glow to them, a quality usually established when the subconscious takes over. She almost looks innocent.)

(murmuring softly) Sometimes there's no feeling like the wind...

(She seems not to be noticing it at all, but Suzaku was staring at her long and hard, as if finally taking note that she was an actual human girl, with decent emotions amongst the eccentricity of it all. His lips twitch, and his mouth parts slightly, as if he was about to say something...but decided against it, choosing to stay silent, and kept gazing at the girl through a new light.)

(After all this time, he's finally interested in this otherwise average fangirl...and he felt a pang in his heart, something awful twitching inside. He realizes that it may have been pity, or even a case of sympathy developing inside him. And he shakes his head, almost laughing at what he'd become. Just another caring dreamboat.)

_Suzaku: (sadly smiling) Even if I'm only in her imagination..._

(He grasps her numb hand.)

_Suzaku:...She'll get through fine._

-CLAMPraven 


	45. And now, to Screw up the Whole Damned Pr...

**"Juri"**

**-from girl to oracle-**

**By CLAMPraven**

**SPECIAL COLLECTION**

* * *

~ And Now, to Screw up the Whole Damned Production! ~

Part 2 of the Legend of Juri Special - Accidental (1)

* * *

_Byakko: Konnichi wa, minna! My shift is up!_

_Byakko: 'Accidental (1), (2), (3), and (4)' is a series of bloopers we'd taped from the first day to the last. 'Toronto (1) & (2)' and all the other side stories in relation to the big story don't count because they're a part of the Special Akugi Collection, thereby deeming them just really big bloopers in general. _

_Byakko: In this crazy segment, everyone screws up. If someone forgot to screw up, we beat them with the mallet from Timbuktu. Thankfully, CLAMPraven is not the one responsible for beating our cast; that, my friends, would be the narrator's job. And he's damn proud of it, too, I must say._

(Hell, yeah.)

_Byakko: OUT!!! (beans him with a white chocolate wrapper; yes, they are multipurpose items, and great for any occasion!!)_

_Byakko: AHEM. Anyway, the bloopers shall be in a special format. Rows of speech, kind of like the Author's Notes, except that everyone has their own title, and there are no special fonts for anyone. We decided on that a while ago, just for your convenience. (smiles) You'll see._

_Byakko: ** Now, if you don't remember everything that has happened since day one, and especially if you don't remember some of the serious parts that we screwed up, it's a good idea to go back and read them over again, as tiring as that may be.** CLAMPraven had to do that before she posted this; she said that even she couldn't remember what happened in her own story. And when she tried to read them all over again, I found her asleep on the computer desk in the middle of one of Taikou's rants. (sweatdrops) Eheheheh...not the most exciting event in the world, ne?_

_Byakko: Aha, yes...and if you don't recognize some of the shows/movies/etc. we crossed over with during this segment, it would be better if you read up on them first. _

_Byakko: Beware of extreme OOC-ness and falling off your chair in insane laughter. Some of this is very baaaaad stuff, though, so don't expect all that many laughs. And as that probably made no sense whatsoever...all we can say is: please take this chapter in moderate helpings, just as you would with your white chocolate. (sits back) It's gonna be a LONG night...and in four segments, too! CLAMPraven just couldn't help herself; she had to split this huge thing several ways to fit it all._

_Byakko: With that said, let the mayhem commence!! (plays the song from Austin Powers in the background ^^;;) (No, seriously...if you have an Austin Powers movie soundtrack in your possession, play that friggin' theme song that always comes on when he bursts in a scene!! It'll actually enhance the production!)_

-CLAMPraven 

* * *

**PROLOGUE (1)**

Scene 1: 

CLAMPraven: Be careful what you wish for...whoever said that was obviously not a Fushigi Yuugi fangirl.

Suzaku: No, it was not. (points) Actually, Byakko was responsible for that one. (cheeky smile)

CLAMPraven: (sweatdrops)

Byakko: Damn you!!

Narrator: CUT!! (sweatdrops) First one of the day, and it had to be Suzaku's fault...

Scene 2:

CLAMPraven: What if you can't speak the language? What if you can't fight, and are faced with the possibilities of getting killed? Worse off, what if you have to watch as your favorite characters get hurt or die?

Suzaku: Even worse off, what if CLAMPraven never shuts up?

Byakko: And what if the sky falls down and the cows go home?

Juri/Jenny: And what if Roku Kyu's reading this and thinks it's worth shit? (narrows eyes Cheshire cat-ishly at CLAMPraven)

CLAMPraven: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH!! (kills them)

Narrator: CUT!!! (Blood!! EEEHEHEHEHEHE!!! ) Byakko, get the bucket; we'll need this for Nuriko's death scene!!

Scene 3:

Suzaku: Well, then! Come on already and give it here!

Genbu: I'm...COMING...!!! (struggles)

Suzaku: (twitch) Give it here...? He's...coming...?! _ Cumming??_ (thinks hentai thoughts) O-O;;

Byakko: (pinches him)

Narrator: Cut!!! 

Genbu: DAMN YOU PEOPLE FOR GIVING ME STUPID LINES AND - oh, I think I broke my spine...help...!!!

Suzaku: (falls off the couch laughing)

Narrator: CUT!!!!

Scene 4:

Suzaku: Well, then! Come on already and give it here!

Genbu: I'm...COMING...!!! (struggles)

Suzaku: (tries his best to hold back giggles) (narf)

Byakko: (whisper) Prepare yourselves....this is gonna take quite a while...

After 2 hours...

Narrator: HEY!! YOU'RE NOT SLEEPING!!!

(camera cuts to Suzaku and Byakko playing chess)

Suzaku: Well, what the hell do you mean, the knight can't separate from his horse and kick the queen's ass from both directions?! (glare)

Byakko: (irritated) He just can't, OKAY?!

Genbu: I'M STILL COMING ~ !!! (struggles)

Narrator: (dies laughing)

Scene 4:

Seiryuu: You have Juri on tape? That's the one decent thing you've done all millennia, Suzaku. Now let me find a place on the...OH MY GOD...ICING SUGAR!!! (turns chibi) Now who would've been so wasteful as to spill this on the couch? (licks) Mmmm....hm, this is good. A bit salty, though, and it sorta smells like Byakko's bum...

(rest of the cast): (stares) (dies laughing)

Seiryuu: (blinks innocently) What? What'd I do?

Byakko: Somehow, despite the fact that that was partially my fault, I don't feel morally offended...(wonders) Hm. 

Narrator: AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaa... (runs out of breath)...cut, cut...Seiryuu, you really haven't been paying attention to the script, have you...?! Heheheheheheee...

-

**MISHAP (2)**

Scene 1:

Juri/Jenny: Another average day at home alone, in an apartment across the street from an elementary school that I had long forgotten...HEY!! (SD point) Chappie title's in italics!!! (awed) Ooooooooooooooooooooooh....

(rest of the cast): (sweatdrops)

Narrator: (slightly irked) Cut...CLAMPRAVEN...!!! Go and fix that!!!

CLAMPraven: (whistles innocently while pointing at Byakko) 

Byakko: I DIDN'T DO IT!! I'M INNOCENT, I TELL YA!!!

(All of a sudden, a small purple-haired girl rushes onto the set, carrying a hammer!)

Amelia: He is innocent, and I'm here to testify!! Do not frame him with your (points at CLAMPraven) carelessness and ignorance!! In the name of all things righteous, I shall punish you with the hammer of JUSTICE!!!

CLAMPraven: (sweatdrops) O-O;; Oops.

Amelia: (promptly punishes her with the hammer of JUSTICE!!! while everyone else watches, wondering how one little blooper could've stretched so long...eeeeeeheheheh)

Scene 2:

Juri/Jenny: (narrating) My Rayearth comics are stashed in the corner, and my Evangelion II CD playing while I drift off into the imagination. 

Chiriko: HEY!! (indignantly) THAT'S IN PRESENT TENSE!!! CLAMRAVEN - 

Suzaku: Did she just say she had an Evangelion II CD?! (hinthint)

CLAMPraven: IT'S KARAOKE TIME!! (dun dun dun...) Sing it with me, Juri!!

CLAMPraven & Juri/Jenny: (deep breaths) Aaah...FLY ME TO THE MOON, AND LET ME PLAY AMONGST THE STARS!!!

Narrator: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!!!!!!!!!! Cut!!! LITERALLY!!!! (takes out Deathscythe's scythe and rushes in for the kill) (did we mention we don't own Gundam Wing? Minna? ^-^;;)

Scene 3:

Suzaku: (narrating) I had done a little research about this human earlier today. Turned out she was a loner, didn't want any friends. A major brainiac, too. She also happens to be quite the cute little kid, although just slightly overweight...

(In the shadows of the set, a very distinctive hiss can be heard, as soon as Suzaku mentioned the slightly overweight part...)

Suzaku: (sweatdrops) O-O;;; Erm...(gulps)...like I said, just slightly overweight...

(The dangerous music from 'Jaws' is playing. There is more hissing. The shadowed figure moves in for the kill...)

Suzaku: (can't take the suspense anymore) AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!! Don't kill me, Jenny!!! CLAMPraven wrote the script!!! You don't have a weight problem!!!! (runs away)

(The shapes step out of the shadows, to reveal that it was in fact, not Juri, but the Medusa girl!)

Irasa: Suzaku!! (in confusion) Why did you run away?! And why did you scream Jenny's name? (hisses in irritation at the pickle jar in her hand) I was going to ask you to help me open this! It's jammed shut!! (more hissing) 

Byakko: Eheheheheheh...my bad for the Jaws music. Gomen, minna!

Narrator: (sweatdrops) Cut!!! Irasa, you can't open a friggin' pickle jar?! Here, let me get that for you... 

Scene 4:

Suzaku: Go 'way, Byakko. I'm watching something.

Byakko: She's cute; mind if I join you?

Suzaku: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! (bashes Byakko over the head with the TV) Is this some elaborate plan to steal my girlfriend?!?!?

Narrator: (blinks) Um...cut...Suzaku...aren't you just a tad bit too into character??

Suzaku: WELL, IF HE'D (beep) STOP LOOKING AT MY (beep) GIRLFRIEND THAT WAY, I'D (beep) (beep)...

Narrator: We only put one asterisk per f word, right? (raises eyebrow) Since when did we censor every word? 

CLAMPraven: (indifferently) Since Suzaku turned this into Jerry Springer.

Narrator: (very irked, but narrating anyway) Bodyguards rush onstage to restrain Suzaku. An audience starts chanting for them to fight. Byakko surrenders and runs behinds the bodyguards. The whole cast sweatdrops. And no, we don't own Jerry Springer.

Narrator: And by this point in time, you'd think we'd ran out of blooper ideas, but noooooooooooo... -_-;;;

-

**MISUNDERSTOOD (3)**

Scene 1:

Juri/Jenny: (narrating) Not knowing what was really the right thing to do, I fell to the ground in a kneel and proceeded to bow to him for all I was worth. I had heard that emperors are known to behead you if you make one wrong move...

Hotohori: (suddenly reappears as the Queen of Hearts) OFF WITH HER HEAD!!! (pose)

Juri/Jenny: (stares in muted confusion)....................................

Hotohori: (concerned) Does this dress make me look fat?

Narrator: CUT, DAMN IT!!! Nuriko!!! Stop giggling!!! Something tells me you're in on this one...

Scene 2:

Suzaku: (narrating) All of a sudden, the TV stopped. I stood up to find none other than Byakko standing behind it, holding an unplugged wire in his hand. (blinks) Eh?

Byakko: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIEEEE!!!! (severely electrocuted)

Narrator: CUT!!!! (shakes head) I'm working with imbeciles...!!!

Scene 3:

Miaka: ...

Juri/Jenny: ...

Miaka: SAIYUKI!!!

(rest of the cast): (falls over)

Narrator: SHINNYUUSHA!!! (pulling his hair out) **SHINNYUUSHA!!! **

CLAMPraven: (arrives on the set with disclaimer signs with Hello Kitty borders (her fave)) We don't own Saiyuki!!

Suzaku: (shakes head) Good gods...

Narrator: (clears throat) Saiyuki - Journey to the West. Great Chinese legend. Also known for the awesome manga and the crummy anime by the same name. (cheesy grin) Can you tell I'm a fan?

CLAMPraven: (glares severely) It's a shounen-ai manga.

Narrator:.................

Scene 4:

Juri/Jenny: (narrating) Nuriko's temper was really something. I don't know if he was aware, but he could just force Hotohori into a tight situation and...well, get what he always wanted from the beautiful emperor.

Nuriko: (stops his acting) (turns to Hotohori) Hey! Now there's an idea I've never thought of before!!

Hotohori: (eyes bulge out in horror)

Nuriko: (grins evilly) (pounces him)

Juri/Jenny: (sweatdrops) Um, guys...the cameras, they're still rolling, you know...

Narrator: GET A ROOM!!! It isn't called PG-13 for nothing!!! (raises eyebrows) Damn, they sure are flexible, though...

Suzaku: (taps his shoulder) Forgetting something?

Narrator: (snaps out of it) Oh, yeah. AND CUT TOO!!!

**FOREIGN (4)**

Scene 1:

Suzaku: (narrating) WELL, JENNY, the SURVIVOR...let's see what would happen next! 

Suzaku: (realizes what he had just said)....................................

Suzaku: (sweatdrops) What have I done?!

Narrator: (narrating) Camera cuts to a tribal scene late at night (though the gods know it's bright and shiny in the studio), where the rest of the cast and crew of Juri sits around the campfire. The torches burned brightly around them, as CLAMPraven stands on a wooden podium, reading the votes.

CLAMPraven: (flips through the votes) CLAMPraven, CLAMPraven..._CLAMPraven_...Suzaku, (modest shrug) and _CLAMPRAVEN?!_ (glares at cast) YOU CAN'T VOTE ME OFF THE ISLAND!! I'M THE F*CKING HOST!! (puts hands on hips) I don't even have a torch to put out!! So there!!

Tasuki: Aw, f*cking stubborn wench. LEKKA SHIN'EN!! (fries her)

(CLAMPraven promptly screams, runs onto the exiting bridge, hurls herself off the bridge and into the water. Suzaku sweatdrops, as Juri/Jenny fumbled around in the dark, trying to find her disclaimer sign for Survivor, holding it out in the light of the fire...and promptly burning it after the customary five seconds.)

Narrator: (clears throat) I declare myself the new tribal leader!! (stands up) Called it!

Suzaku: (finally cracks) CAN WE GET ON WITH THIS?!?

Scene 2:

Suzaku: (narrating) Opening the program, I typed in some html codes following the C++ manual Genbu lent me earlier. (thinks) Now how the hell did Genbu get his hands on a C++ manual anyhow?!

Genbu: (on the side of the set, talking with CLAMPraven) Eh? Sorry, sonny, I can't hear you...what was that you were saying?

CLAMPraven: (pissed off) I'm a girl, damn it!!! (muttering) I can't believe I turned Genbu into an old geezer cliche and now it's come to this...(louder) I said, DID YOU OR DID YOU NOT TAKE MY DAD'S PROGRAMMING MANUAL?!

Genbu: (tries to look innocent) Well, of course not! Why would I - 

CLAMPraven: Genbu. Please. You're old, you're wrinkly, you can't make puppy dog eyes, and you are not smart enough to actually READ a C++ manual. My dad, on the other hand...

(The Nyan-Nyan winced as flashbacks of the Chinese computer programmer who was her dad and who had never been wrong in his whole life, or so he claims - )

Narrator: UUUUUUUUGH...(slaps forehead) Tellmethisisn'tturningintoaCLAMPravenfamilyexclusivetellmethisisn't... (mutters on as his glasses slide off and he stumbles off the set for what would turn out to be a sabbatical of two hours)

Scene 3:

Tamahome: So...you're saying this girl is _smart_?!?

Miaka: This girl's a GENIUS, Tamahome!

(A long, extended pause ensues in which no one is able to say anything. Finally, everyone bursts into insane laughter)

Narrator: (sweatdrops) This needs no explanation. Cut!!!

Scene 4: 

Suzaku: Now he's going to get it. OH_, **BYAKKO...**_

Byakko: (innocently) What?

Suzaku: (says nothing, but holds out a CLAMPraven voodoo doll on a stick, which, coincidentally, is shaped like a cross!)

Byakko: (eyes widen) No!! NO!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! (falls down on the ground, twitching as his body rots away) I'm melting!! MELTING!!! No, wait...turning to dust!! TURNING TO DUST!!! (It doesn't sound as dramatic, but what the hell!) AAAAAAIIEEE!!

Narrator: (sweeps up the remains of the tiger god) Give me that!! (wrenches the voodoo doll away from Suzaku, and brandishes it in his face) Now, we condone religions in here from Catholicism to Hinduism to Satanism and every miniscule minority belief in between, but _that_...

**REVELATION (5)**

Scene 1:

Hotohori: Are you alright, Nuriko?

Nuriko: Oh! Yes, I'm alright, Heika. Just...a little preoccupied...um...with thoughts of...OH, KISS ME, YOU FOOL!!! (dives over the table, arms outstretched)

Narrator: (pushes Hotohori out of the way just in time...and Nuriko ended up diving on him. His glasses clatter off the stage. Everyone is in stunned shock.)

Nuriko: EEEEEWWWW!!! Narrator cooties!! (tries to take out mallet, reconsiders, and instead gazes deeply into his blue-gray eyes curiously) Say...I never noticed how deep your eyes were, underneath those glasses...! (sexually) You ever had an affair with a beautiful man before? 

Narrator: (eyes bulge out) (shrilly) EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!! (throws Nuriko off him, and runs off the stage) I'M NOT GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYY...(slams washroom door shut)

(rest of the cast):............................................................

CLAMPraven: (narrows eyes in deep thought) When I asked Narrator to make sure there is no added shounen-ai onscreen, I did not realize the consequences. (pout) They actually looked cute together, though...!

CLAMPraven: (blinks in stunned surprise) 

CLAMPraven: (whips out sketchpad and immediately starts planning a Nuriko/Narrator yaoi doujinshi)

(rest of the cast): (sweatdrops) (takes out their punishment mallets)

Scene 2:

Jenny/Juri: (narrating) Miaka's translation was gibberish! A pile of dung! Trash! Manure!

Miaka: (suddenly turns huge and blazing angry) **DEATH REBORN REVOLUTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

(rest of the cast):...........................................

Miaka: (sweatdrops) Ahahahahahah...(nervously)...that's not going to cost me, is it?

Sailorsaturn: (stomps onto the set with her lawyers) Yuuki Miaka? I believed you used my incantation...

Miaka: The devil made me do it!! (points accusingly at a shady figure in the corner)

Satan: (coughs awkwardly)

CLAMPraven: Damn you idiots. (turns out empty pockets) If I have to take a loan off CLAMP Campus one more time...

Narrator: CUT...on the other hand, I do have a Ph.D. in Harvard Law!! (grins at Saturn's lawyers) Have your people call my people...

Scene 3:

Miaka: (narrating) When the smoke cleared, Juri was the first to scream.

Jenny/Juri: Oh mein Gott...was die Hölle die war?!? 

(everybody): (stares)

Jenny/Juri: (eyes bulge out) Scheiße. 

Suzaku: (eyes bulge out also) Shit is right...

CLAMPraven: SUZAKU!!!! (really pissed off) HOW THE HELL DID YOU CONVERT IT TO GERMAN?!? (death glare) You haven't been doing your homework!!!

Suzaku: (turns pale) (throws the C++ manuals aside and frantically flips through "Holy Havoc for Dummies") 

Narrator: (throws up his arms) CUT!!!!

Scene 4:

Jenny/Juri: I can't fight, and I'm not Confucius, but I -

Confucius's undead zombie: (storms onto the set) (screams at CLAMPraven in hoarse Mandarin)

CLAMPraven: (blinks) (stares at Jenny/Juri) He says get rid of the comparison. It's degrading.

Jenny/Juri: (slaps forehead) It was just a damn comparison!!!!

Narrator: CUT!!!

_~ 2 minutes later, at the coffee break ~_

CLAMPraven: (deep in a discussion with the zombie) So what is your theory on why the chicken crossed the road?

Confucius's undead zombie: (scratches decayed chin thoughtfully) (answers in Mandarin)

CLAMPraven: (blinks) Ah. (grins) Interesting...

Narrator: WHY THE HELL ARE WE TAPING THIS?!

Confucius's undead zombie: (shatters to a billion pieces from the resonance)

CLAMPraven: NARRATOR!! (points to pile of dust) Now you've really killed him!! (gets out superglue) I can bring him back! (frantically tries to piece together the zombie's remains) No!! Confucius-sama!! Don't die on me like this!!! (hugs dust pile)

Narrator: (sweatdrops) 

-

**Special Section!!**

**CLAMPraven's Bio:**

**Age: "Now? Proudly 1 1/2 fanfiction years! Real age? Damn you!"**

**Height, weight, shoe size, underwear color, appearance, la di dah...: "Varies, depending on which anime I'm camping in and what I feel like."**

**Education: "The equivalence of Homer. No, wait...I've got about an 8th grade mathematical equivalence and the musical talent of a giraffe. (sweatdrops) To make up for it, my art and English levels are that of a passing high school graduate if not further. I've got a mediocre average and used to attend the gifted program. But they kicked me out...c'est la vie. Governed by the right side of the brain, and it's no lie...I am more spiritual than I am real. (nods vigorously) I also have no sense of time whatsoever." **

**Talents: "...Talents? What talents? (searches frantically in her pockets)"**

**Favorite things: "Anime, manga, British soft rock, white chocolate, plain cheesecake, sesame sauce noodles, peaches & cream yogurt - oh, especially if the peaches are actually inside the yogurt, those are good...let's see, everything Basara, especially Sarasa, Ageha, and Shinbashi's family, CLAMP, the color indigo...(goes on and on and on)"**

**Favorite HP character: "SEVERUS!!! (beams proudly)"**

**Favorite character from Juri: "..........................TAIKOU!!! (v-sign) My most original character ever!! I also love Juri...and that line! 'Red eyes, darker than the bloodied roses in midnight...' Vampire!! (grins)"**

**Absolute favorite song: "...............................Shut up."**

**One wish?: "That wishes will never come true. (solemn nod) People who wish are cheap, cowardly, and don't give a penny what they and their initiative are worth. Take it away from them, and they'll learn to take their own steps. Throughout this fic, I've learned to stand on my own feet as well...otherwise, saying this would make me a hypocrite, ne?"**

**How you got involved in fanfiction: "Absolutely positively peer pressure. (nods) Plus, this site is so damned convenient, despite its many bugs, that even someone as lazy as me can log on!"**

**Mentors: "The big bad five by whom I preach under on a monthly basis: _Bjork, the abstract mother of chaotic lust; Zhuge Liang, the fictional quintessence of Asian strategists; Edgar Allen Poe, the undead poet damned to tragedy; Michael Jackson, dancer, composer, and benedict of the norm; and lastly, my dad...absolutely positively no explanation needed._ Even ROKU KYU, who's treasured name I engrave in capital letters, hasn't made her way onto this list yet. I have my personal reasons for every single one, not including the ones I've listed, that I can rant about for hours on end. Not in my bio; don't even bother rummaging. That's for people who are interested in my anime life."**

**Favorite quote: "Innocence is bliss! No wait, that's not how it goes...(She actually says this a lot!)"**

**Any last words?: "OKEEDO! Gomen minna...back to the reason you're all here!"**

**-**

**RESEARCH (6)**

Scene 1:

Suzaku: (narrating) Jenny doesn't know **nearly** as much as she needs to in order to guide MY Suzaku Shichiseishi!! Considering she doesn't have the manga (pluck), the anime (pluck), the dubbing nor the money it takes to buy it (pluck pluck), minus her parents' permission to buy it in the first place...(pluckpluckpluckpluckpluckpluckpluck...)...hey...not to mention her being a damned coward (pluckpluck) and the fact that she has no confidence in herself whatsoever (pluckpluckpluck), and...(blinks) wait a second...(pulls out razor from underneath sofa) Hey! Now there's an idea! 

_~Ten minutes later...~_

Suzaku: (blinks, now completely naked in his bird form) But I thought I was supposed to list ALL the reasons...

CLAMPraven: (slaps forehead) Now it'll take at least another two day for you to grow it all back!!!

Suzaku: (rummages underneath the sofa, and pulls out instant feather formula) Oh, wait...never mind!! (grins) Well, you could keep this part of the footage! Besides, I like it when I tell the truth in a fic...it makes me look good and Jenny look like the dim-witted sickly zombie she is! (this points to Juri/Jenny's red eyes and white skin...if you see her the way CLAMPraven imagines her when she's in her true form, you'd understand...oracle of death is right!)

Juri/Jenny: (livid and fuming) Suzaku...

Satan: (taps her shoulder) (reaches inside his cape and hands her a chainsaw)

Juri/Jenny: (eyes widen) (smirks evilly)

Scene 2:

Suzaku: (telepathically) _I said, IT'S NOT OVER YET! Guess who._

Juri/Jenny: My mind was frozen in thought for a second. I blinked for what seemed like the fifth time in the last ten seconds, then narrowed my eyes in an angry conclusion. 

Juri/Jenny: (telepathically) Hey ~ !!!!! What the hell are you doing in my head?! Or have you figured out a way to get rid of Harry Potter?

(rest of the cast):.........................=-=;;;

Juri/Jenny: (blinks) What? The script said it would be Voldemort!! (holds up script tampered with magic marker)

CLAMPraven: (glares accusingly at Satan)

Satan: (holds up a tiny banner that says: "Harry/Draco - suck on that, big guy!! This is for having to watch your fat angelic ass stick out of heaven every day of my gothic existence!!!") (toothy grin & v-sign)

CLAMPraven: (sighs)

Narrator: (exasperated) CUT!!! We don't own Harry Potter, and we have nothing against Christians!!! 

(sfx: thunder strikes)

Narrator:...............................(whimpers) I'm.....not.....gay.......? -;;; Eep!!

Scene 3:

Byakko: You know...you really shouldn't concentrate on trying to be the next Doctor Evil...

Suzaku: (places his pinky finger on his cheek, a la said doctor) (grins maniacally)

Byakko:....................(slaps him)

Narrator: CUT!!! (whimpers) Why meeeeeee...?!?

Scene 4 (same scene, retake):

Byakko: You know...you really shouldn't concentrate on trying to be the next Doctor Evil...

Suzaku: Oh, it's instinctive, trust me...(swallows pill) 

Byakko: (ignores the lines) No, really, you shouldn't.

Narrator: (slaps forehead and grabs Juri/Jenny's chainsaw away from her in an attempt to try seppuku (honorable suicide))

Suzaku: (stares thoughtfully at Byakko) Since when did you care?

CLAMPraven: (hauls it away) Narrator, do you write fanfiction?! Are you a fanfiction author? You are not as immortal as I! You only get off easy 'cause you're my sidekick!!

Byakko: Well...(blushes)...it'll sound weird since...well, technically, we're brothers, since we both came from the same creator of the universe, but...(grasps Suzaku's hands gently)

Narrator: (yanks the chainsaw back) Then you take over the production!!! 

Suzaku: Byakko...(leans forward instinctively)

CLAMPraven: (sweatdrops) Nyeh...I REALLY don't think so...

(both): (turn to the stage) HEY!!!

(Of course, by this time, the tiger and chicken gods are very, very close...)

Narrator: (extremely pissed off now) CUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUT!!!

(Suzaku & Byakko): (fall over backwards)

CLAMPraven: (eyes bulge out) (grabs sketching pen and eagerly sketches down Suzaku/Byakko) Why didn't this happen sooner?! God, this is better than Suzaku and Juri!!!

Narrator: (vein pop) (twitches) (yanks chainsaw jerkily back from the Nyan-Nyan)

**RENDEZVOUS (7)**

Scene 1:

Juri/Jenny: (jumping up and down) TASUKI!!! CHICHIRI!!! MITSUKAKE!!! SUZAKU SHICHISEISHI!!!!

(the seishi's horses): (take one look at Juri/Jenny and run away like hell)

Juri/Jenny: (sweatdrop as the seishi, screaming and cursing, disappeared again)..............CLAMPRAVEN ~ !!!! (severely humiliated)

Narrator: (now bandaged in stitches because he didn't know how to commit seppuku the right way, and ended up being too cowardly to go all the way anyhow) (hoarsely) Cut!! (snaps fingers) We should've known...!! The Leikaku bandits don't sell trained horses at the budget we've got for this production!!

Kouji: (nudges him, as the horses crash through the studio wall and disappear) Ahem...ain't you getting them back?

Narrator: (turns to face him) You caught them from some dumb merchants for free. We got them off your hands for a few dollars...in Canadian. Do you actually expect to make a profit? (lowers his glasses and gives him the glare that most graduates of Harvard give to a dimwitted bandit)

Kouji:........................(huddles with the rest of the bandits in a less-than-educated discussion)

Narrator: (shift thick glasses) (sniffs disdainfully and shakes a finger at the camera) Never argue with an accountant. Never try to outsmart a good lawyer. And never cross a person who's got degrees in both with a heavy balance and golden chains bigger than Snoop Dogg's. (grins) He got off easy...

Scene 2:

Juri/Jenny: There's nothing to hide from me, Mitsukake. I know why Tasuki hates women and why Hotohori is lonely. I know that Chichiri's wearing a mask, and I know how he got it. Yes...I even know that Nuriko is abused by Purple Mouse, Ryuen, and about 80% of the fy community on a daily basis!!

(Mits, Tasuki, & Chiri):..............................................................

Juri/Jenny: Oh, that and the fact that Chichiri has a condom in his right pocket. 

Chichiri: Daaaaaaaa...(sweatdrops and blushes insanely)

Narrator: Eep!! (waves frantically in front of the cameras) This is not appropriate material!!!

CLAMPraven: (whispers) Chichiri actually only keeps that in case rabid fangirls try to get into his pants!! But hell...(grins at the scene)...we'll exploit what we can!!

Scene 3:

Byakko: Oh my god...that was so sad...(tries to stifle giggles) So sad...(hic) (giggle) (loses all self-control whatsoever) AAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Narrator: (gives up) (bashes his head into the wall repeatedly)

CLAMPraven: Byakko...

Byakko: Aahahahaha...sorry...but...I can't believe you kept that last scene for the cameras!!! AAAAAAHHAAA-

Suzaku: (slaps him) (disgruntled) Get a hold of yourself.

Narrator: I GIVE!!! **NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIRRRRRR...**

Scene 4:

Noir: (now sitting in the director's chair with a menacing smirk) I knew he'd give...

Miaka: (in the middle of the journal scene) I kept it for you, because I always knew you'd come back and use it again...

Juri/Jenny: (mutters) Well, that's just a whole load of crap, since I never touched it again...(blinks) Oops. 

Noir: Inner monologue not working today?

Juri/Jenny: (sweatdrops)

Miaka: (really big, flaming, and pissed off again) **DEATH REBORN REVOLUTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

(rest of the cast):............................................................

Sailorsaturn: (comes back again, frustrated) Miaka, I've told you this before...

Miaka: (points accusingly) The devil!! The devil!!

Satan: (holds up a sign saying "Work with me, not the pig, and I'll give you all the cheats to the X Box you've ever dreamed of! Act now, and receive automatic access to my fitness club ABSOLUTELY FREE, but only if you call in the next 30 seconds!!")

Noir: (sweatdrops uneasily) Now I see why he quit. (grabs director's microphone) CUT!!!

**WARMTH (8)**

Scene 1:

Tamahome: You say that Suzaku really came to you, even though you - (pauses as he hears giggling in the background) What the hell?

(the whole cast turns around onstage, and of course, the chicken god, of course, is once again trying to snuffle his mirth at the sexual connotations...)

Tamahome:...This is not worth the money I was paid. (glares at CLAMPraven)

CLAMPraven: (sweatdrops as Suzaku falls out of his chair) I guess now's not the time to mention that most of the directors are broke?

(Tiny flashing banners point to CLAMPraven ('Currently being sued by CLAMP Gakuen') and Narrator ('Currently living in a frat house'. Both sweatdrop.)

(seishi): (mutter angrily)

CLAMPraven: (sniffles) And this was supposed to be my grand production!! (smacks Suzaku)

Suzaku: Aaaaaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaaaaaaa...(pauses) Is it over?

Noir: (shakes head disapprovingly and reaches for the Tylernol)

Scene 2:

Juri/Jenny: I have to take a walk...

Chichiri: It's awfully cold outside tonight, Juri no da...

Juri/Jenny: I'm sorry...I can't stay. I have to take a walk...right now...

_~ About 30 seconds later ~_

Tasuki: Juri, just what the hell is wrong with - (blinks, as he realizes what was going on) - EH?!

Juri/Jenny: (teeth chattering madly) (completely covered with about 10 sheets of ice) C-C-C-CLAAAAMPR-RAVEN!!!!! (sneezes violently)

(Behind her, CLAMPraven struggles to shut off the giant monster snowmaker...except that the lever is frozen solid. Apparently, the whole white night scene didn't work too well...) 

CLAMPraven: (struggles) Damn it!! SUZAKU!! Where the hell did you buy this defective piece of trash!!! (pulls out flamethrower) 

Suzaku: (yanks it away) DON'T YOU DARE!! IT'S A RENTAL!! (hugs machine lovingly despite the cold) Hahhhhh...(heart)

CLAMPraven: You're gonna kill our star, you sentimental piece of crap ~ !!! (pauses) Wait a sec...how much did you pay for this?! We have what's called a BUDGET, you know!! (Starts to look like a Team Rocket money crisis, ne?)

Juri/Jenny: (now completely frozen solid) Eeeeee...

Tasuki: (sweatdrops) **CLAMPRAVEN!!!**

Scene 3:

Chiriko: (narrating) And I could only watch as the madness ensues. (under his breath) Damn the tense mistakes. (louder) Sighing painfully, I walked off to get help...

_~ Next Scene ~ _

Chichiri: DAAAAA!!!

Juri/Jenny: CHICHIRI!!!

Chichiri: DAAAAA!!!

Juri/Jenny: CHICHIRI!!!

Count D: Here, puppy-chan...

(Chiriko-chan immediately stops in his tracks; tail wagging happily, he trots over to the kami. CLAMPraven immediately facevaults. Everybody else sweatdrops.)

CLAMPraven: CHIRIKO!!! (points to D angrily) THIS was your version of HELP?!

Chiriko: (shrugs helplessly) Nuriko was still changing...besides, he said he had a tea appointment with you anyway...

Count D: (realizes that the dog is wearing red contact lenses) (stares accusingly at CLAMPraven with that extremely dangerous smile)

CLAMPraven: Ehehehehehehehehehehe...shit. (runs furiously off the set) AAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!! NOOOOOOOO...

Scene 4:

Nuriko: (narrating) Being almost half a woman, I just had to say it. (blinks) (throws script and stares at CLAMPraven) How the hell can you be half a woman?

Noir: (slaps forehead) NURIKO...

Nuriko: What do you think I am, a transsexual?! (glares at CLAMPraven with teary eyes) Can't you change the line?! PLEASE?!?

Tasuki: (fangy grin) Hell, no! Keep the line!!

Nuriko: (punches him through the cardboard background; the whole snow scene collapses as the crew sweatdrops.)

CLAMPraven: Keep the line, Nuriko...in this version of the story, you NEVER chop your hair and give up being a woman.

Nuriko: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! (splatters CLAMPraven with a mallet) I'll sue!!!

Noir: (severely irked by the oddity of the scene) CUT!!!

**INTERFERENCE (9)**

Scene 1:

Juri/Jenny: (narrating) I've tried not to cry, I honestly have. And it's worked, much easier than I had thought. I may not have been a seishi, but if I were, I'd ask Suzaku to GIVE ME THE POWER TO DESTROY CLAMPRAVEN!!! (hyperventilating) Then we wouldn't have to be doing this obscene play, white chocolate manufacturers can rejoice, and WE'LL LIVE TO SEE ANOTHER DAY!!! 

(The clouds part ways and holy light shines down on Juri/Jenny's nightgown-clad figure as she strikes a pose. The crew stares. CLAMPraven, extremely pissed off, vents her anger on a wall. Suzaku considers this with interest.)

Suzaku:...You know, that can be arranged...(eyes widen)...and the fic would be even more famous!!

CLAMPraven: (smashes a whole section of the studio in, eyes blazing) You ungrateful bitch!!! 

(CLAMPraven, double-jointed claws outstretched, lunged for Juri/Jenny like a madwoman; but of course, just before she reaches the light, a huge hand reaches down from heaven and flicks her out of the studio. ^-^;;)

CLAMPraven: Aaaaaaaieeeee!!!! (flies through the studio roof)

Juri/Jenny: (looks up and blinks at the light) Holy shit. (turns SD) Thanks, Big Dude!!

Holy disembodied voice: No problem. (pats Juri/Jenny's head) 

Suzaku: Hey!! God!! (waves a fist) You still own me 50 bucks and half of California from that poker game!!

Holy disembodied voice: I left the money in your mailbox, right next to your Playboy magazines, and...did I say California? Ahahaha...I think I meant Afghanistan. (turns to face the devil, and points to other hand, sporting a Rolex that says 4:00) Satan, you're late; we have an appointment at Spielberg's for another apocalypse scene.

Noir: Damn the insanity. (watches as Satan and the hand both disappear) CUT!!!

Scene 2:

Suzaku: Damn this...the girl wants powers! But what kind of power is endurance? That's even less powerful than intelligence!! And what kind of a dumbass would ask for endurance, anyway?!? (blinks) No, wait...dumb question. Okay, um, can I start over? Scratch the line?

Juri/Jenny: (fuming) SUZAKU...

Suzaku: Aw, come on!! Scratch the line! I'll never get that date with Pamela Anderson if I keep sounding like a retard!

Noir: (narrows eyes) Suzaku. She's married, and you have bigger problems.

Suzaku: (gestures to Juri/Jenny) What, her? (smirks)

Juri/Jenny: **SUZAKU ~ !!!!!!!**

Noir: (tsks as Juri/Jenny transforms into her full height and bashes Suzaku over the head repeatedly with her (now golden/diamond and heavy) lantern) This is shameful, even for a blooper...

Scene 3:

Tasuki: Damn you, monk boy!

Chichiri: SHAME ON YOU, NA NO DA!!! THINKING SUCH THINGS!!! (grabs object where his shakujou was supposed to be)

Tasuki: Whoa...cool your fire. I didn't mean it. Aw, f*ck, at least put the...(stares)...Nyan-Nyan...down...?!

Chichiri: (realizes that he was holding a stunned CLAMPraven high in the air) O.O;;

(rest of the cast): (stares)

CLAMPraven: (blinks) (sweatdrops) Chiri, let me go...(shakes instant undulating mist bottle embarrassedly) I haven't finished spraying fog on the stage for the flashback scene yet...eheh...okeedo? (blushes)

(Apparently, CLAMPraven was standing where the shakujou was supposed to be, spraying that corner of the stage. The shakujou, unbeknownst to Chichiri, had accidentally been left at the dry cleaner's.)

Chichiri: (still momentarily frozen with shock) Daaaaaa... 

Tasuki: (exasperated) CLAMPraven!!!

Noir: (is too busy snapping pictures for the behind-the-scenes scrapbook to say 'Cut!')

Scene 4 (very, very long):

Tasuki: HOLY SHIT, JURI!!! Don't pair me up with the friggin' okama!!

Juri/Jenny: (narrows eyes slyly) 

Tasuki:...........................

Juri/Jenny: (continues with the scene nonchalantly) It's too easy to get on your nerves...

Noir: (eyes bulge out) Is it just me, or did she just turn down a perfectly good blooper opportunity?!

_~ during the coffee break ~_

Doraemon: (explaining yet another of his inventions to Juri/Jenny)...you pin this heart brooch (hands it to her) on one person, and this heart brooch (hands it to her) on the other. That way, the person wearing the second heart brooch is made to think he or she is the other person's partner! (beams) Now, take this sleep gun as well, (hands it to her) so that they can have pleasant dreams while you go and slip the brooches on. Make sure CLAMPraven doesn't see them on the clothes! She's read my manga...she'd know what was going on!

Juri/Jenny: Arigatou! (waves goodbye as the machine cat disappears through the Wherever Door) (grins evilly)

_~ Next scene ~_

(Kudos if you can imagine this. They are acting out the riding scene to the top of the mountain, except that Nuriko is clinging onto Tasuki on his back, blushing and cooing, while Tasuki is wiggling, rolling on the ground, and rubbing against the trees, trying to remove him, and of course...swearing every which way. They both wear the brooches. Everybody else is stunned by this behavior. Meanwhile, Juri/Jenny calmly says her lines...and of course, wears the customary evil villain smirk.)

Tasuki: GET OFF, F*CKING CRAZY BASTARD!!!! (now tries to swing him off) (is suffocated by his glomp) Hack!

Nuriko: But I'm your wife, remember? (pinches his cheeks) Aw, you're so cute when you're angry...

Juri/Jenny: (reciting her lines and smirking still) You know...this might not be the best place to scream.

Tasuki: (ignores her completely) **AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!!**

(There was a long moment of silence, then, in the space of about 3 seconds, the whole 'mountain' collapses on top of them. Ashitare breaks a rib. Noir mutters underneath her breath.)

Noir: (now visibly shaken as paramedics rush to help the seishi) _33 more acts...33 more acts...33 more acts..._

**SACRIFICE (10)**

Scene 1:

Chichiri: We have to escape the avalanche on horseback.

Juri/Jenny: (determined) Then we have to go, **now**.

_~ 10 seconds later ~_

CLAMPraven: (standing outside the bathroom and pounding on the door) JURI ~ !!! Come on, hurry up, we have a scene to shoot!! I didn't think you meant what your dialogue indicated!!

(From inside the bathroom, sounds of constipation and groaning can be heard. CLAMPraven grimaces.)

CLAMPraven: Eeeeeeeeuuuuugh. (twitches uncomfortably) Never mind the self-bashing in the author's notes. What was I thinking when I wrote this retarded fic?!

CLAMPraven: (remembers her strange obsession with Mahou Tsukai Tai at the time)

CLAMPraven: (shudders) Never mind...

Scene 2:

Juri/Jenny: (narrating) Frantically, I glanced at my surroundings, searching for the familiar blue-haired monk and his stallion. Where was Chichiri's horse? And where was _he_??

_~ Meanwhile, in a not-so-secret organization not-so-far away ~_

(A group of MIB agents surround a nervous SD Chichiri, all of them examining his gravity-defying bangs.)

J: I dunno...he looks like a human, but...

K: (stoic as usual) This could be a new cross-breed. Have the twins gone over the database?

Chichiri: Daaaaa...(sweatdrops) Excuse me, but I have a dramatic avalanche scene I need to be in right now, no da...

(All the MIB lean in closer, amazed at the substance on his forehead. In an act of courage, L actually pokes the sweatdrop. It doesn't burst. They take notes. Chichiri's sweatdrop multiplies.)

Scene 3:

Juri/Jenny: Can't you tell what he's trying to say, Tasuki? He wanted us to go. To leave him. It was the right thing to do.

Chichiri: (now drowning in the waves of snow) NO IT WASN'T, NA NO DA!!! Heeeeeeeellllllppppp...(drowns)

(Of course, they don't hear him. Meanwhile, the directors admire their work.)

CLAMPraven: (watching this with interest) Good, good!! (beams) This is the level of drama I wanted!!

Narrator: (now almost completely recovered from having been director) Good...now how does he get out?

(all three): (stare at each other)......................................................................

Scene 4:

Nuriko: Tasuki, Juri was right. You know, this is amazing. I'm surprised and I don't know why. Juri managed to make a wiser decision than you, and you're supposed to be a Shichiseishi! You didn't think twice about the fact that you could've killed yourself and Juri, whereas she thought over the costs of your actions, and saved you and herself!! You were more arrogant than the child, and now she's the one who feels terrible, whereas you don't give a DAMN!!!

Tasuki: ............(narrows eyes suspiciously) (pokes Nuriko) Taikou...is that you?

("Nuriko" takes off the bodysuit. Underneath it, of course, is our favorite pink-haired monk. I'm assuming it's our favorite one because it's probably our only one, otherwise, I wouldn't brag...ne?)

Taikou: (now speaking in his normal voice...Taikou can do imitations! We're assuming he sounds something like a girl in the first place...Megumi Hayashibara, anyone?) Aw, I knew I couldn't fool them! (whisper) Nuriko paid me to rant for him! But I didn't even accept the money!! (grins)

Tasuki: (sweatdrops)

The real Nuriko (as much as we'd like to pun that, we must restrain ourselves...): (steps out of the change room) Did I miss anything?

Noir: (slaps forehead) Cuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut...

-

**Special Section!!**

**Narrator's Bio:**

**Age: "About 1/2 years in fanfiction years, or depending on when CLAMPraven first created me...I actually don't remember. I am, however, supposed to be older than 20 years...even if I look younger."**

**Height, weight, shoe size, underwear color, appearance, la di dah...: "215 cm, 49 kg, size 8, and...(blinks) (checks underwear...can you tell he's absent-minded?)...bleached-looking black. I usually wear plaid or cotton. I'm tall as a beanpole, but only half as skinny, with a thin face, cinnamon hair and blue-grey eyes, which no one can see because I wear impossibly-thick glasses most of the time. CLAMPraven likes to describe me as a modest beauty whom no one actually realizes, and compares me to Tomo. (narrows eyes) Judging by my lack of dating experience, you can tell that I don't believe it. "**

**Education: "I have a Ph.D. in Harvard law, a master's degree in business, and am currently studying forensics in Todai. Favorite subject will nearly always be astrology, however...which stemmed from me liking Sailormoon too much. (nods fervently) ^-^ If you ever need to settle a lawsuit that you can't afford to lose, or have money problems, or even can't remember all the moons of Neptune, it would be better to get either me or someone like me. (thinks) Probably someone like me, since you're real and I'm about as real as an honest government. I also utilize both sides of the brain, thank you very much." **

**Talents: "I guess you can say I'm useless in the social spectrum. (pouts) But I am smart. I know a few languages...German, Japanese, French, Egyptian, sign language, Morse code...and a few bits and pieces here and there. I can play the violin, and I also have a double-jointed knee, so I can bend my leg the other way. (sweatdrops) I don't do it very often, though."**

**Favorite things: "Anime, manga, science fiction, classical literature, classical music, birds, motorcycles, olives, mushrooms, sushi, violins, humble people, good poetry, seedless oranges, chastity, wisdom, logic puzzles...and honest trust. I don't ask for much...just a little of the best things."**

**Favorite HP character: "Hagrid. I've always loved humble characters, and Hagrid is also a tad clumsy, despite his size...kind of like me in many ways. (grins shyly) I guess my next favorite would've been Harry."**

**Favorite character from Juri: "Honestly? (pause) Uwabami Irasa. (smirks) I think it's the hair that does it for me...and the irony! The innocence of a monster...and so humble! She doesn't get much development, but I think she's very beautiful. (nods)"**

**Absolute favorite song: "Angel by Sarah Mclachlan. (dreamy look) Hahhh..."**

**One wish?: "That people can trust other people without fearing pain."**

**How you got involved in fanfiction: "I've been a part of CLAMPraven for as long as I've remembered, since I come from her. Everyone needs a personal narrator...my idea blossomed when she realized the words on the pages were as alive as she. If you relate this to her imaginary fanfiction life...I guess you can say I was an old friend she never knew, whom she met in a quaint coffee shop...I carried but a dog-eared science fiction novel, and my trust in strangers. And that's putting it artistically! (laughs) You can say that I'm the onlooker who sees but finds my voice in her. Which would explain why I'm so shy. Heh. You know it and I know it...I'm just her eyes."**

**Mentors: "The revolutionary geniuses who trusted in themselves and turned the world upside down...Einstein, Galileo, and the other greats."**

**Favorite quote: "If you look for anything hard enough, you will find it...even if you're the only one who would see it."**

**Any last words?: "The rest is silence."**

* * *

Minna, I've just realized something.

**'Toronto' already took 2 segments. If this is going to take 4 segments (I originally planned 2, but by the length of the delay it took for just this, you can tell why I made the decision that I did), since I can't do more than 10 chapters per job, then it would already have been 6...my previous maximum. Add in the parody, the sequel, the sequel to the sequel, and the conclusion - which includes the tiny Seiryuu side fic that I wanted to include, as a tribute to the miko & seishi I'd ignored...and this could possibly be as long as 11 whole special parts.**

**You do not have the patience for 11 parts. You may deny it, but you will not hang around a fic that has already long since been finished, just to see some cracks about the characters. **

**This year has been taking its toll on my stressed shoulders...I CANNOT possibly update all that early or serially. I know I will find myself delaying and worrying more about this fic in the days to come. **

**I need to complete another fic. I also need to improve my music mark, and the other marks that I've lacked in school. I am a very petty person, and gets easily aggravated...I will worry, and I will get many headaches over this fic if I don't plan it out right.**

**PLEASE tell me if I'm making a big huge mistake with this production. I do not care whether it's a straight-out complaint...which I consider better than trying to weasel in the message through false cheer. **

**IF YOU SO CHOOSE, I WILL QUIT ON THE BLOOPERS, leaving only the ones for the 10 that are there. Then, I shall continue with the rest. It would save me 3 chapters, and save you 3 weeks. **

**I care very much about my readers and reviewers. I refuse to write something that would outright frustrate me with everything that it demands and frustrate you with the inconsistent humor, delays, and lagging. If this is so, please inform me. I do not wish to trouble you, and I do not wish to trouble myself. However, if it is within your wish that I continue the bloopers, I will gladly do so. I shall practice my calm in order to make this the finest fic I can. I refuse to give my audience something it doesn't want.**

**Consider what has been written, the quality of it...and feel free to scream in my face. I know I'm being humble. I am a humble person. I also like my fics to be well-written, as anyone would. **

**I would hate it if you were being dishonest. I'm not lying.**

**IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE ABOVE, PLEASE READ THE ABOVE CAREFULLY. I DO THIS NOT TO BOTHER YOU, BUT TO BENEFIT YOU.**

-CLAMPraven 


	46. And Now, to Screw up the Whole Damned Pr...

**"Juri"**

**-from girl to oracle-**

**By CLAMPraven**

**SPECIAL COLLECTION**

* * *

~ And Now, to Screw up the Whole Damned Production! ~

Part 3 of the Legend of Juri Special - Makeup

* * *

(Ohayo! (waves) It's Narrator here. CLAMPraven's almost good to go...I think she'll be hosting the last of the Special Collection, though. Oh, well. (shrugs))

(Oh, and on that note...she has a special message.)

I LUV YOU PEOPLE!!! (huge GLOMP) 

((sweatdrops) CLAMPraven...)

(beams) Now, you may be wondering where the next installment of the bloopers are! Well...(drumroll)...they...are...TRASHED!! But the thing is, it's not that I have been discouraged from continuing them because of you! (shakes head) Oh, no no no. Do not feel guilty. After having a chance to look it over myself, I've decided...well, shit. When you've seen one blooper installment, you've seen them all!! And frankly, I didn't think you'd like me making fun of the last few death chapters, anyhow. Think I'm too chipper compared to last time? 

Nyeh...just a technicality. And since you all have been gracious enough to excuse me from being responsible for a whole set of bloopers, I'm assuming you were telling the truth, and that I can continue on with the other crap! And for those of you who loved the bloopers...(winks at Draconsis and Kai, respectively) (teary-eyed salute) I shall try my best to make it up to you with everything else I have!!! And that includes making 'Makeup' a success! I swear...it SHALL make up for the lack!! Hence the name...that, and the contents of the chappie. (vigorous nod) 

(Ahem. Riiiiiiiight. (sweatdrops) So anyway...)

(The following nonsensical, strange, stupid, fluffy, shoujo brainchild of CLAMPraven's...is the Sailormoon parody she'd been dying to make. (nods vigorously) Think she can't do it? Well...)

(...)

(The truth is, she is having more than a little bit of trouble.)

(**She's planning to leave as many Mikotos out of this as possible...to make room for the Seiryuu Seishi,** who had been neglected throughout the whole of Juri and are now going to make a comeback, for better or for worse. Whether this is really out of the goodness of her heart, or just because CLAMPraven doesn't want her own OC's prancing around in absurd rainbow-colored fukus...is yet to be determined. (sweatdrops))

(As alike the two storylines are, FY and SM still have a lot of ground to cover in a parody, as they aren't exactly the same, or else more people would've started becoming suspicious, ne? Yes. So...)

(We travel to CLAMPraven's lounge/office/stage/studio (It's a multipurpose room, for the sake of being cheap, which happens to be our motto, apparently. So sue us. No...actually, don't.), where she is deciding where to put everybody. The entire story shall be written out in blooper format, with a few spaces here and there, to separate certain segments for the sake of your own sanity, so no real drama or beauty within the whole of this one. **This takes place in SAILORMOON S, you know, with the Deathbusters and everything? I've not yet run into one person who doesn't know what Sailormoon is, so just find an episode script and follow along, in case you haven't seen Episode 110 before! This is the episode when Haruka and Michiru's talismans are revealed...but of course, you should know that since this is Episode 110, and not the Cloverway Episode 103, that we aren't following the dub! **It only minimally follows the script, anyway, so...enjoy. Cough, gag, give CLAMPraven the finger...but enjoy, nonetheless. Arigatou. (bows))

(And as well...not only that, but this is a combination chapter...CLAMPraven has decided - she says, and I quote - nyeh, what the hell, she'd put her Tomo side story here, too, right after a bio on Taikou and one for Enri! This is why this one's so long - it's like a bonus package! CLAMPraven feels that she owes you somewhat, because she's been delaying the update for, what...2 whole weeks now? And since the title Makeup applied to both the SM transformation sequences and Tomo-chan, she naturally decided to use it for this special occasion...damn our strange and unpredictable ingenuity.) 

-CLAMPraven 

* * *

Narrator: (narrating) Dream-like sequence. Michiru is lounging by the pool.

Narrator:...

Narrator: (pissed off) CLAMPRAVEN ~ !! THAT'S MICHIRU'S CUE!!!

CLAMPraven: Ah, shut up. (swaps) Now let me see...

Narrator: (narrating) Apparently, CLAMPraven isn't finished deciding which characters are which. 

Narrator: (narrating) In front of CLAMPraven lies a clipboard. Some of the SM characters had already been linked up with the names of fellow FY characters by bold black marker. Michiru's blank, however, remains...well, blank. ^^;; (normal mode) Sorry, couldn't resist...so what the hell are you up to, CLAMPraven? Forget the deadlines again?

CLAMPraven: (scribbles something, then erases it; dramatic, eh?) Aw, hell...BE QUIET AND LET ME THINK!! (wonders) So who do I cast as Michiru...? Chichiri or Chiriko...? Chichiri...Chiriko...or Juri? Or..._me_? Hm...tough decisions...(scratches chin) I think I'd make a good Michiru. But then where would the others go?

Narrator:.......................(sweatdrops)................yeeeeeeeaaaaaah......okay, I see your predicament, CLAMPraven. If it were me, though, I'd just go with Chichiri. (nods vigorously) Uh huh.

CLAMPraven: (raises eyebrow) Why? Just for the sake of seeing Chichiri in a speedo? (grins) 

Narrator: (blushes furiously) SHUT UP!! I'M NOT GAY!! (clears throat) Besides, it'd be more canonical for him to wear the women's swimsuit instead like in the original...right?

CLAMPraven: (pauses) (considers this) Hm. So it's not the sexual interest, huh?

Narrator: (clutches head) AAAAAARGH...you know, you're making this REALLY HARD for me!!!

CLAMPraven: (acknowledges this) Ooooooookeedo. (scribbles down Chichiri's name on the clipboard) AND ACTION!!

Narrator: (narrating) So anyway, dream-like sequence, Michiru is lounging by the pool...she lies upon a beach chair, and is seemingly unaware of any disturbances. She holds a seashell to her ear, and listens, drifting away into unconsciousness...

Chichiri: (suddenly appears where Michiru should be, sporting a wig) (blinks in shock) (nearly drops the seashell when he realizes what he's wearing) DAAAAAAA?!?

Narrator: (hisses) Just go with it!! (continues narrating) Um...okay, where were we? Ah, yes...she looks up and sees Haruka, with a sad smile, leaning over her. (pauses) Haruka?

Yui: (suddenly appears above Chichiri, making him squeal and turn SD) (blinks) Nani?

Narrator: (shrugs) Well, you've got to admit, they do look alike. 

Chichiri: Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa...(very scared by the close proximity of their faces) (pulls wig over his face) Narrator, na no da...!!! I'm going to kill somebody for this, no da!!

Yui: You're my co-star? (narrows eyes) Shit. 

Narrator: (extremely hissy) The lines!! _The LINES!!_

Yui: Eh? (blinks) Oh. Um...(racks her brain for it) Okay...(leans forward, displaying excellent method acting and improvising skills...Yui has always been very elegant, ne?)

Narrator: Hm...but that actually doesn't serve our purpose here. (thinks about it) The purpose is screwing up. It's always been to screw up. (sighs) Ah, the poor unsuspecting Seiryuu...

Chichiri: (glimpses from behind the wig) Eep no da!! (covers his eyes again) 

Yui: (in a soft whisper, now completely in her role) It's not fair...to indulge in your own world. Don't leave me alone.

Chichiri: Aaaaaa...(frozen) 

Narrator: CLAMPraven...(sighs) (whispers) Since she couldn't figure out roles in time for everyone, she had the people without roles to remember EVERYBODY's lines!! So Chichiri had to remember the lines of the whole cast, but he isn't familiar with SM at all! If he isn't careful, he can burst out sounding like Eudial!

Chichiri: Uh...(now vaguely in role) I had a dream...this morning...no da...er...

Yui: Right. (listening intently, as she should be)

Chichiri:.............................(sweatdrops as he doesn't remember anything else).........................Well, that's about it, no da. ^-^;;

Yui: (facevaults) CHICHIRI!!! 

Narrator: (jaw slack) Um...well...I guess that's it! (claps) (sweatdrops) Scene change...oh, and CLAMPraven...

CLAMPraven: (busy deciding who to cast as Eudial and Mimete) (concentrating really hard; she's sweating) =-=;; Hm...

Narrator: (extremely pissed) CLAMPraven...SCENE CHANGE!!! 

CLAMPraven: AAAAIEEEE!!! (bounces up in her chair) (glares accusingly at Narrator) Damn you!! (composes herself and turns haughtily back to her chart) Now, Soi for Eudial, and Enri for Professor Tomoe...who to play Mimete? Miaka's already playing Usagi, and we've got Nuriko as Minako...Seiun's a tad too unconventional, even for me...damn. Where are all the hyper characters?! 

CLAMPraven: (blinks as an inspiration the size of a rushing train collides with her head) O.O

CLAMPraven: (scribbles madly in Mimete's blank)

Narrator:...=-=;; (winces) If I didn't know better...(suddenly pales)...I'd think she just wrote down - 

CLAMPraven: (hyper again) All right!! Now, ACTION!!!

Narrator: I hate my role. Kids, this is the job your guidance teachers failed to mention - and I don't mean being a traveling cook on the Food Network. (shakes head disapprovingly) (starts narrating again) Ahem! In the dark room only illuminated by Eudial's computer screen, the crafty servant of Professor Tomoe hunts down her last victims...

Soi: (merrily smiling) (typetypetype) 

Narrator: (whispers) Soi doesn't actually know keyboarding...she's just doing this for the heck of it!! (sweatdrops)

Soi: (blinks as the window goes haywire and the entire monitor fizzles and dies) Eh? Did I do that? 

Narrator: (slaps forehead exasperatedly) Never mind, never mind...we'll fix it later, just say your lines!!

Soi: Oh. Right! (evil grin) This will definitely locate the owners of the pure hearts that hold the Talismans. Just a moment please.

Narrator: (sweatdrops) Oy vey...

Narrator: (narrating) Eudial heads to her locker...unaware that there was a surprise waiting for her there. 

CLAMPraven: (frowns) You missed the tack scene, Narrator.

Narrator: I don't care. (narrows eyes) I want to get this scene with Soi over with as soon as humanly possible; she's a blood-sucking harlot (blood-sucking - relating her to earwig, not vamp). (continues narrating) Anyway, the surprise...

Soi: (sees the snails in her locker) AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH!!! (whips out her weapon and fries them to death) DIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIE...

Narrator:.............................=_=;; (sighs) And just how does she expect the gossipers not to have heard her? Suzaku...(clears throat) (narrating) Eudial doesn't know what to think. Frightened and affronted by the trick, she picks up the slip of paper in her locker, confused...

Soi: Why are there experimental snails in my locker?

Narrator: (narrating) The note says...

Note: (actually starts talking) _A snail woman in a wagon, will be killed in an accident! Muahahahahahahaaaaa!! By the way, that was just for extra effect._

Narrator:......................................................

Note: (shrugs) _Well, you told me to SAY it! _(wiggles out of Soi's hands, plops onto the floor, and inches away)

Narrator: Holy shit. Aaaaaahahahaha...(giggles nervously) (starts narrating, a little bit freaked out now) Okaaaay, now it's been confirmed that the jokes are as crude as Eria claims...(winks at reviewer) damn this...Eudial stares at the note in disbelief, before hearing laughter...she hides from the voices, curious as to what they were carrying on about...

Taikou: (wearing a bleached blond wig, spectacles, and uniform) (beaming) Hey, have you heard that Eudial failed again? (giggles girlishly)

Soi: (eyes bulge out) 

Narrator: (deadpan) This is Eudial's competition. (sweatdrops and bashes his head against the wall) I was afraid of this ~ !! (gasps in horror, as he sees the rest of the gossipers) And the extras...the extras!!

Tomo: (perfectly in role) Oh, dear! She wasted another Daimon that the Professor made? 

Suboshi: (wearing huge wig that covers his eyes) Uh...(tries to remember lines)...even though she's quick, she's stupid?

Amiboshi: (elbows him, also in drag) (hissing) You got your lines wrong, Aniki!! 

Suboshi: (blinks) Ne? What do you mean? (stares at him)

Amiboshi: (sweatdrops) It's 'even though she's quick _at calculation_, she is unusually stupid!'

Suboshi: Ah...I see! (grins) So even though she's smart, she's stupid? (doesn't understand)

Amiboshi: Oh! (gives up) (swats him)

Tomo: (glares at both of them) (hissing) Urusei! CLAMPraven's going to kill us it if we mess up as mere extras! (pouts) And she was just starting to like me...I was winning favors! She was about to set me up on a date with Nuriko! 

Narrator: Aaaaaauuugh!!! The insanity!! (narrows eyes) Why the hell did we even have the Boshi twins?! Amiboshi is bright enough, but Suboshi's a terrible actor! (mutters) And Tomo...the _idiot_...

Narrator: (clears throat) ANYWAY! Basically the scene finishes with Eudial learning that Mimete has gotten a phone call from Enri - ahem...Tomoe, signaling that she would replace her for all her failures

Taikou: (blushes profusely at thoughts of Enri) Aaaaaahhh...

Narrator: (sweatdrops)..........................and Eudial plots against her not knowing she's been tricked and realizes who the Talisman holders are and _we'll just be skipping on down to the next scene now!!!_

(the cast): (stares up at the ceiling) NANI?!? (takes out their weapons)

Narrator: (narrows eyes) Oh, f*ck off...(takes out his Scholar Britannica Scimitar (don't we love the weapons CLAMPraven comes up with? Yes, and this is Narrator's...) and slices the scene to dust (yes, and that is what it does))

Narrator: (composes himself) Damn those bastards. (clears throat) Ahem! In Haruka's apartment, a telephone beeps. (blinks) I should really try and make myself more dramatic...!!

Narrator:...

Narrator: YUI!! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING WITH THE ANSWERING MACHINE?!?

Yui: Aaaaaaagh! (is trying to shut off a previous message) 

Telephone: (the message is playing, and a familiar shogun's voice is speaking) _...now, remember, we meet tonight at 12:00, and no telling anyone else about our delicious little escapades in Seiryuu's Jacuzzi. See you there. _(clicks)

Narrator:....................................

Yui: (blushing)...............................

Narrator: (face is scrunched up) YUI...!!! (picks up the phone, deletes the message, and starts dialing Nakago's number)

_~ A few hours later ~_

Narrator: (now dragging Nakago by the ear out of the studio) Next time, use the number of Yui's cell, not Haruka's damn phone! Now, I don't know how the hell you even got Haruka's phone number, but you're damn well NOT CALLING THAT PHONE AGAIN!! What if you'd been late, and the phone was returned to its owner, and it had been Haruka herself picking up?! It is her damn answering machine, you know!! And I can't plead for a lawsuit of those proportions; she'd send a World Shaking up my ass before I can even get to the stand!

Nakago: (unmoved) I was thinking that if I called up Haruka's phone, I'd give her more of a surprise. (smirks slightly) Although, if it had been herself picking up the message, I'm sure she'd consider going straight instead of being with that Neptune bitch and -

Narrator: (extremely pissed) OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (kicks him out)

_~ And a few hours after that...~_

Narrator: Damn you Seiryuu. Now where were we?

Telephone: (playing answering machine) _I am unable to return your call right now. Please leave your message after the beep. _(beep)

Narrator: Oh, yeah. That. (narrates again) Haruka, sitting by the windowsill, is unmoved...(dramatically) until she hears the voice of a deadly nemesis!! (blinks) Hey ~ ! I haven't lost my touch! (grins toothily)

Telephone: (Soi's voice) _What the hell?! _(static) _Shit, the phone's not working! F*ck CLAMPraven's budget!! _(static) (sounds of Soi bashing it with her whip) (clear line) _Oh, there we go. Okay, now it's better. _(suddenly cheery) _Hello, is this Ten'oh Haruka's residence?_

Narrator:..............................

Yui: (sweatdrops) (Soi had never been a good actress either...)

Telephone: (Soi's voice) (now following her lines, thank Seiryuu) _Thank you for entertaining us all this time. This is Eudial. Are you surprised? I can find your place easily now that I know who you are! Not only that, I have another surprise. I've found the holders of the Talismans!_  
  
Telephone: (Soi's voice) _I will take them away. We will win this battle -_

Telephone: (plays answering machine again) _I am unable to answer your call right now. Please leave your message after the beep. _(beep)

Telephone: (Soi's voice again) _Hey! The recording time is too short! I couldn't say what I wanted to! No matter. That's about it. By the way, I remember you were also looking for the Talismans, right? I think I can accommodate you as our allies, if you'd like. Don't worry, I haven't reported your real identities to my boss yet. If you're interested, you should come to the designated place. I'll send you a fax. Bye!__  
_  
Narrator: YES!! By God, yes!!! They got almost one whole scene right! (teary eyes) I'm so happy ~ !!

Narrator: (happily listening to the whirling of the fax machine, as Chichiri enters the scene in his bathing suit - and wet, actually...)

Narrator: (whistles) Hm...now that I think about it, Chichiri actually does have a cute butt - wait. NO. Something has to be wrong. (narrows eyes) No scene goes by this perfectly!!!

Narrator: (spots his problem)...

Narrator: YUI!! Wake up!!

Yui: (snaps out of sleep...apparently, the telephone scene was too boring) Huhwha?

Narrator: (hits himself with his own weapon)

Chichiri: (now completely in character, and stunningly beautiful indeed, he stares at Yui with troubled eyes) I think it's true that they found a holder of a Talisman.

Yui: Yes. It matches with our intuition. (blinks) Wait a second. (stares upwards) What intuition would that be, again?

Narrator: The scene you butchered at the beginning.

Yui: (understands) Oh...

Yui: (continues with her lines) The time is coming...I know these hands are already dirty. (stares shamefully down at her palms - coincidentally, they were a little bit muddy) I will make any sacrifice and use any means to get the talismans!

Yui: (stares as Chichiri approaches) Michiru? (notices that he looks sad) Come on, what's wrong?

Chichiri: (gazes thoughtfully at her for a moment, then grasps her hands tenderly) Haruka...

Narrator: Yes...! The speech impediment really died! (rubs hands together in glee) Now we'll see what Chiri's really made of!

Chichiri: Don't worry! I like your hands!

(Chichiri fondles Yui's hands, just as was done in the original, while heart-wrenching violin music plays in the background. As Narrator watches, dumbfounded and awestruck, the monk's eyes soften into delicate, crystalline slits of moonlight, and he smiles chastely, the sweetest smile you'd ever seen...the sunlight shining through the window strikes his false hair at every angle, illuminating every strand of turquoise, even his long, soft, eyelashes...to make him appear like an angelic being, so fair it seems a sin that he is of this earth at all. Yui...is speechless.)

Narrator: (eyes light up) (whispers) He's...he's beautiful! He's _perfect!!!_

(They stay like this for a while.)

Chichiri: Yui...(sweatdrops)...you need to wash your hands, no da.

Yui: (shocked).................

Narrator: (bashes himself against the wall repeatedly) CHICHIRI!!!!! You killed it!! (jumps down from the ceiling, dashes to the actors, grabs Chichiri's shoulder's, and starts bashing his head against the windowpane, while Yui is frozen) You killed the perfect scene!! You killed the absolute only chance of stardom this fic would ever get!!! YOU BASTARD!!!

CLAMPraven: (sweatdrops) Ahem....right...I really need to suspend Narrator's license on that weapon of his. Maybe it'll get him to stop self-destructing so often...

CLAMPraven: (stares at chart) Now, let's see...Tasuki as Jupiter or Mars? (thinks) He's got the red hair, like Mako-chan's got in the manga, and I've already reserved Rei's spot for Hotohori, since he wanted to be the pretty one...except that since Makoto only gets one line, the profanity won't be a problem! (grins) Yeah...

CLAMPraven: And with Chiriko as Mercury, and Nuriko as Venus - plus Narrator calming down, ever so slightly - we've got ourselves another scene!

Narrator: (still slightly fuming) (narrating) The girls were in Tokyo, remembering a conversation...flashback mode...

Chiriko: (as Ami) Talismans...what are they?

Chichiri: (solemn) Our goal is to get the Talismans.

Tasuki: (fuming)............................

Narrator: (eyes bulging) For f*ck's sake!! Swallow your pride and say the damn lines!!

Tasuki: (glares murderously at him) Shit! (mutters curses) (squeaky girly voice) (bats his eyelashes for the camera) In order to that, are you going to choose any method? (immediately ducks into a corner and hits himself over the head with the tessen repeatedly) F*ck! F*ck f*ck f*ck f*ck f*ck...

(rest of the cast): (stares)

Yui:...(sweatdrops as Tasuki's curses echo)...(clears throat) Ahem. Yes. I will never hesitate to choose the methods! 

Hotohori: Huh? My line? (tears himself away from the nearest mirror) (as Rei) Can't we understand each other?

Chichiri: No, we are divided as enemies and allies. 

Nuriko: (as Minako) We're all Sailor Senshi, aren't we? (pleading look) 

Yui: (fiercely) Don't say that!! (suddenly forlorn) We're looking for...different worlds... 

Chichiri: (coldly) We will sacrifice anyone without remorse... 

Yui: Even if we sacrifice the owners of pure hearts... 

CLAMPraven: (eyes widen, after she scribbles down a name for Chibi-Usa's blank) Damn...we nearly got over that scene with no mistakes! (narrows eyes at Tasuki) Except for one immature fanged pyro with a cork stuck up his ass... 

Tasuki: F*ck you, bitch! You were the one who put me as the damn macho chick in the first place!! I swear, Makoto's a goddamn she-male, the way she acts sometimes, 'cept domesticated and a tad cuter! Damn women...(pulls at fake ponytail) Can I _ please_ get rid of the f*cking extensions now?! 

CLAMPraven:.........(she actually likes Mako-chan more than the other Inners)................ 

Tasuki: (rips out extensions and burns them) LEKKA SHIN'EN!!!! _You_ - (points accusingly at CLAMPraven, with a huge smirk) - do not _nearly_ let me say that line often enough!! 

CLAMPraven: (narrows eyes, as Tasuki does a little victory dance around the ashes) Sou ka...I get the feeling I should have more respect than this. (purses lips) I think it's my lack of big long vocabulary. 

CLAMPraven: (blinks) 

CLAMPraven: (pulls out the Encyclopedia Britannica, 'War and Peace', and 'Imitating Daria for Dummies' from her cabinets, and studies furiously) 

Narrator: (with a pencil stuck up his nose, and playing with the handle of the microphone, watches this with little to no interest whatsoever)...Noir, do me a favor. 

Noir: (materializes out of the shadows) (slightly peeved) I told you...I'm not replacing your role! This, my friend, is where you get your name, your identity, and your paycheck! (pats him on the back) Now narrate! 

Narrator: (sighs) Noir, don't you ever get the feeling that what you're doing isn't what you were destined for? That perhaps, there's more to life for you than being CLAMP-tachi's voice of reason? That there's more to life for me than being CLAMP-tachi's vision? Lord knows it's frustrating sometimes...and everyone else seems to hold on to something more precious by living for themselves, rather than being footservants to another! Even the seishi...they're not all about Miaka! Even the senshi aren't all about Usagi! 

Noir:...(confused look) I don't think I understand what you're getting at...honestly, Narrator, I've never thought about it that much. We were born from CLAMPraven...Christ, we don't even have reflections of our own! For us, all the signs in the world point to her...we dedicate ourselves to her, because it was what we were meant for...and besides, technically speaking, the seishi and senshi would die for their causes. CLAMPraven's a little eccentric, yes, but we hold an equally important commitment to her! 

Narrator: Yeah, I get the gist of it. But she can be such an unconventional prick! 

Noir: (smirks slightly) Well, so are we. (ruffles his hair) How about that? 

Narrator: (narrows eyes) Don't you DARE point to family resemblance. 

Noir: (Cheshire cat grin) You worry too much. 

Narrator: If life is all about CLAMPraven, wouldn't it be better not to live? 

Noir: I think if you suicide now, you'd disappoint too many people. (sighs) Philosophy will be the death of you, but you can be painfully blunt sometimes; more than one year writing this fic, and even our loony authoress learned more about herself than you! She grew up alongside Jenny with every word she wrote, alongside every review, and by the time Jenny had transformed herself into Juri, she had transformed herself into a more well-rounded human being in general...and you can't even figure out how much you have gained just by completing your role! (shakes head) Think about what you're doing, and why you're doing it, as you do it. You're more than some robot, Narrator. (vanishes) 

Narrator:............(eyes linger where Noir used to be)........ 

Narrator:...Life's philosophy. (scoffs, slightly humored now) What a load of crap. 

Narrator: (removes pencil from his nose, straightens microphone, and continues narrating...) Inside the house, Usagi had been thinking quietly about the events of recent days...however, a shout interrupts her. 

Keisuke: (clad in casual boy's wear, a tad bit pissed that he's only playing Shingo) Stupid Usagi! The telephone's for you! It's from a person named Haruka! (glares up at the ceiling) (hisses) Tell CLAMPraven I'm suing! 

Narrator: (smiles gently down, shrugging lightly) That's life. (whispers) And I won't challenge her to a lawsuit if I were you! (points at his own chest, now swelled up with pride and confidence from the conversation) She's got me, after all...! And this...is what I was born to do. 

- 

**Special Section!!**

**La Fille Noir's Bio:**

**Age: "Since I was created after Narrator...I'd say about half a fanfiction year, now...I could be wrong."**

**Height, weight, shoe size, underwear color, appearance, la di dah...: "Well, let's see...190 cm, I weigh absolutely nothing (a shadow, remember?), size 6, I don't usually wear underwear, and my appearance? Narrator's already gone over the fact that I look like Ifurita in a black bodysuit - which is not bleached, thanks...but several differences. I have hollow eyes and claws. But aside from that, I think you get the gist of it!" **

**Education: "****Absolutely positively none. I'm both a refugee and a delinquent of the streets. However, I have been rumored to have participated in the Canadian parliament, and I can also think in many circles. Not to mention I can slip through traps of any shape and size." **

**Talents: "I'm an artisan, a weapons maker, a telepathic shape shifter, and am able to meld in any shadow. I also work sometimes as a disk jockey (DJ Shadow stole my name! No, not really...), and sometimes as a dancer in some obscure nightclub. Do not expect to find me in a thong in the open...and do not expect me to go in the sun, period. I won't melt, necessarily, but I will be blinded temporarily. Vampire? I only wish I had the fangs...that, and the fact that I can forget about anything at will, even if it be under my nose."**

**Favorite things: "Anime, manga, black blood, cypress trees, the Red Hot Chili Peppers (for just being so damned gay and loving it), the Barenaked Ladies (for knowing what the public wants and being so damned goofy while they satisfy), carrot cake, lemon meringue pies, jalapeno peppers stuffed with feta cheese, tails, long fingernails, wire eyelashes, gravity-defying hair, Vampire Hunter D, RG Veda (you want unconventionality in black and white? This is one of the few tickets...), sexy male teachers under 30 with glasses...(goes on and on)"**

**Favorite HP character: "(looks at you strangely) How can anyone not love Sirius Black? Then, of course, there's Draco, and Sevy...a little old, but not a bad option."**

**Favorite character from Juri: "Well! (claps) Let's play a little game, kids! Who's dark and sarcastic and follows Kano wagging his blond bushy tail and dripping pre-cum? (grins expectantly)"**

**Absolute favorite song: "I'm indecisive. (hums to Lullaby by the Tea Party with a lazy swagger)"**

**One wish?: "That CLAMPraven stays a child forever, forever in her innocence, so that she can cherish all that she needs, and forever out of the eyes of the general public. Why? This way, the world won't have to worry about her revolutionary ideas when she grows up. For if you let a psycho live and flourish, it shall wreak havoc on the world...and the people will applaud it. (winks)"**

**How you got involved in fanfiction: "I was born as representative to CLAMPraven's conscience...strangely enough, she hadn't always needed my assistance up until now. As Narrator would put it poetically: she met me when she was struggling with her doubts about her existence, and I was the living shadow that supported her in one hand and society in the other, so that she is forced to look across my bosom into the eyes of terror, and relish it for as long as she shall live. (scratches chin thoughtfully) But you've got to admit...it makes it sound like - well, first it makes me sound like a big-breasted harlot, and it makes it sound as though I'm the one who created the little tyke in the first place, and that isn't fair at all! (shrugs) But the conscience isn't always a sheet of white! It's just what she's been born to lead...and that is why I hide in the shadows...not only do I follow her around all the time, but I'm society's iron hand. It's just CLAMPraven's way of playing out her ironies!"**

**Mentors: "Those who hide in the shadows, work magic in their fingers, and/or pick locks on a daily basis...this includes everyone from Houdini to Dracula. (nods fervently)"**

**Favorite quote: "The sky and earth's lips touch on the horizon 365 days a year...and while God's lips caress those of Satan, we marvel at its radiance in the warmth of the sun. What a lovely world our savior has brought us...!"**

**Any last words?: "Shut up and let me get some sleep. The SM parody is causing permanent brain damage to everyone in this room. Yes, even CLAMPraven's. Now go away. Seriously. I might even be able to forget this whole nasty incident if I try hard enough..."**

- 

Narrator: In another part of the city... 

Tamahome: (as Mamoru; now, raise your hand if you didn't see this coming) What? Haruka and Michiru asked Usagi to see them? (concerned) Is she alright? They _are _Uranus and Neptune... 

Miboshi: (clad in a huge pink wig with odangos and slightly airborne despite CLAMPraven's warning) (pissed off) Yeah, but I don't think the two of them are bad guys... 

Miboshi: (spots strange woman down the path, who disappeared) 

Tamahome: What is it? 

(Miboshi is shocked, and doesn't answer. Scene ends. Tamahome pinches him for being a floating freak and making him look bad.) 

Miboshi: (is currently being held in place) CLAMPraven!!! Let go, damn you!!! 

CLAMPraven: (straps an anvil on Miboshi's back and seals it with one of Hino Rei's incantations...available in a random Chinese/Japanese grocery store near you!) I'll take it off when you've proved that your two feet can stay on the ground!! 

Miboshi: (floats upwards despite the anvil) (sweatdrops uneasily) Eheh...? 

CLAMPraven:...................You have another appearance at the end of the episode. This...calls for drastic action. 

CLAMPraven: (thinks of the heaviest items she can get her hands on).......... 

_~ 10 seconds later ~_

CLAMPraven: (stares at the pile of items she'd used, from the left...this includes Son Goku's Nyoibo (all three of them - the Saiyuki version, the Dragonball version, and the story version, all of which are quite heavy), as well as an assortment of weapons...) 

CLAMPraven: (...eyes travel down to the end of the pile, including the debris from 9/11, the Pentagon...and her personal favorite, the Tokyo Tower, the all-purpose structure used especially by CLAMP for every conceivable situation, from the portal of Cephiro to the set of the X/1999 Armageddon....) (sweatdrops) 

CLAMPraven: (narrows eyes at a still-floating Miboshi) Remind me again...why the hell did I hire you? 

Miboshi: (shrugs innocently) You thought I was cute in 'Death's Angel'? 

CLAMPraven: (throws Nyoibo at his head and promptly knocks him over...as this didn't even weigh him down properly in the previous try...I'll leave the explanation to the Fanfiction Authoress guidebook) I'm working with imbeciles!! 

CLAMPraven: (blinks) 

CLAMPraven: (stares at the limp body) Hey! He's not floating anymore! (scratches chin, eyes widen) (evil smile) What a very unfortunate accident...!! (runs off to find her giant puppet master set and her cell phone) 

Noir: (materializes and stops her) CLAMPraven, Chibi-Usa doesn't have another appearance in this episode! 

CLAMPraven: Nani? Honto ni? (stares at the limp body again) F*ck! And I was just about to hook him up to my puppet wires and ask God to lend me his hand!! And that was supposed to be one of my moments of triumph! 

Noir: (shakes head) It's not much of a moment of triumph if you can't even realize that you don't need it this episode. 

CLAMPraven: (scratches chin) You know, that's one of the smartest things you've ever told me! (narrows eyes) Now go away. 

Narrator: (narrating) Usagi is transported through the elevator to the rooftop. Upon the opening of the doors, she is astounded by the huge aquarium walls surrounding her. Being the cheerful, over-optimistic girl she was, she was immediately overjoyed at the sight of the fishes. Haruka and Michiru, solemn, waited at the end of the hall, not facing her. 

Miaka: Wow! Great! (actually pokes the glass) I didn't know that there is an aquarium on top of this building! May I bring my friends next time? (no reply) May I? 

Narrator: (narrating) Finally, Haruka responded, but not in the way that she had hoped she would... 

Yui: (coldly) Never show up before us again, Sailormoon! 

Miaka: (confused) We're all Sailor seishi, aren't we? Can't we be allies? 

Yui: I won't forgive you for dragging us halfway to a fight for fun! (advances towards Miaka, with a cruel expression, and attempts to wrench out the brooch...) 

Narrator: (astounded) Less and less mistakes! (stares at scene) Oops. Spoke too soon... 

Yui: Augh, crap! (tries to remove the brooch, but instead ends up getting her fingers stuck...!!) What the hell did you do to the brooch, Miaka?! 

Narrator: (narrows eyes) Shit. (jumps down) What's going on? 

Miaka: I didn't do it!! (points to the shadows) 

Satan: (in the shadows) (takes out a sign - writing is in silver gel pen - that says: "The pin on the brooch came loose, because the brooch is golden and heavy! She used Narrator's superglue to get the brooch to stay on the bow! And stop blaming the innocent hooded bystander!") 

Narrator: (raises eyebrow) You found my superglue stash? 

Miaka: Right underneath the underwear cabinet, but I swear, I didn't mean to...(blinks as Yui's figure becomes bigger and bigger, blowing up to seismic proportions)...eeeeeeeeee... 

Yui: (really pissed off) **DEATH REBORN REVOLUTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

Narrator: (remembers the bloopers)......................This calls for serious psychiatric help. (spots Saturn) You're not taking this seriously, are you? 

Sailorsaturn: (sweatdrops) (calls off her lawyers, who promptly throw away their leather briefcases and call KFC for lunch...) 

CLAMPraven: (stares at Yui and Miaka incredulously; since Yui's fingers are still jammed underneath the brooch, and she can't take them out, it makes for a very awkward position; needless to say, Yui is extremely pissed, Miaka clueless, and Narrator very amused) This...is a predicament, indeed. 

CLAMPraven: Who the hell knows how to get rid of superglue, though...? 

CLAMPraven: (blinks) 

(Yui & Miaka): (whimper in unison) 

_~ A few minutes later... ~_

CLAMPraven: (is busy writing down the incantation on paper) So you're saying you use this to undo any sticky solution? Any at all? 

Hermione: (sucking up the attention proudly) (beaming) Of course. I'd never tried it on superglue before, but I have tried it before on Canadian Muggle maple syrup, back when I'd went to Ron's house in the summer and his father brought it back...it was nice, but Scabbers accidentally knocked it all over the table, and since I'd heard the spell from Defense against the Dark Arts before, I - 

CLAMPraven: (interjects) (confused) Who the hell would teach you how to undo sticky variables in DADA? (narrows eyes) Lockhart, the bastard...as much a narcissist as Hoto-chan but only half as pretty. Damn him! 

Ron: (clambers over the windowsill from his broom) HERMIONE!!! 

Hermione: (glances back) Aw...such a shame. (turns back to CLAMPraven) It's time to go already! 

Harry: (waves through the window, cheerful as always) Hullo, CLAMPraven! How are you? 

CLAMPraven: Harry! (beams) Cute as ever! 

Ron: Now hurry up, Hermione! Harry's got Quiddich practice and Hagrid wanted to see us! Something about a new pet of his...(shudders) I do not like the sound of it at all... 

Hermione: (sighs) Apologies, CLAMPraven, but this witch-in-training job can be terribly busy... 

CLAMPraven: (pats her on the back) Well, host my fanfic any day! (chuckles) Don't forget to say hello to Severus for me; you remember me sending him that singing valentine in your second year, and I'll never allow him to forget it if it's in my power. (grins wickedly) (hands her a thick book entitled "A HP Fangirl's Psychological Study: Why Harry and Draco are Hot Together") And give this to Draco-chan, if it's not too much trouble. And just like the last one...you don't want to read it! (cocks eyebrow) Or have you been reading the last one? 

Hermione: (turns beet red) 

CLAMPraven: (shakes head) I knew this would happen one day. (beams proudly) That a girl!! 

Narrator: (watches as quiet is assumed again and everyone is settled down) Damn the insanity. To quote from Noir, at least...I think I'm swearing too much. (sweatdrops) Where the hell were we? 

Narrator: (finds script) (narrates) Miaka's brooch is torn out with a frightfully violent wrench... 

Miaka: (collapses on the ground) (this time, they fixed the pin on the brooch...) No! (thinks) Ow, my ass...! 

Yui: I'll keep it for a while!   
  
Miaka: (desperate) Wait!! Don't think of stealing any more pure hearts! (thinks) Damn splinters in my ass!! 

Yui: Shut up! Can't you see? 

Chichiri: If you show up before us again... 

Yui: You'll be killed! (takes out transformation pen) Uranus Planet Power! Make up! (becomes naked and is enveloped in blinding light) 

Narrator: (nonchalantly sips coffee while tuning up the mini-radio in the corner) 

Chichiri: Neptune Planet Power! Make up!! (also becomes naked and is enveloped in blinding light) 

Narrator: (spits coffee all over the mini-radio, making it short-circuit, and is immediately pressed up against the windowsill, eyes bugging out and nose dripping blood in every direction) Gaaaaaah...!!! 

Noir: (walks into Narrator's little area; in case you haven't figured it out, and most of you probably haven't, Narrator has a mini-studio dangling from the ceiling from where he narrates through a microphone; since the window is directly in front of the scene, he can jump down at any time to consult the actors/actresses) You need help. 

_~ A few seconds later... ~_

Narrator: (finally manages to pry himself off the glass, with Noir's help) (By this time, Yui and Chichiri had already finished transforming, saying their lines, and heading out the window to their helicopter) (wipes blood off his nose, and tries to hide the spilt coffee) I'm not gay!! 

Noir: (stares at him dubiously) On the contrary, you're both gay and pathetic. (turns to scene) Ooh, Setsuna's entrance is coming in a few seconds...!! 

Miaka: Haruka!! Michiru!! (runs after them, but is too late as the helicopter whirls, and travels out of sight) 

Narrator: Who did CLAMPraven put as Setsuna, anyhow? 

Noir: It's anybody's guess...(scratches chin) But if we were to go about the process of elimination, Seishi to Senshi... 

CLAMPraven: (fills in Setsuna's blank, satisfied) Mits is Setsuna!! 

Noir: (deadpan) Mits is Setsuna. (realizes what she's just said) Holy... 

(both): SHIT!!!!!!!! (glares as Mits enters the scene in a purple outfit, purple contacts, and a long, shaggy-looking evergreen wig) 

(both): (immediately break out into huge fit of laughter, rolling on the floor of the broadcasting office, gasping and clutching at their stomachs) NO WAY!!!! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! 

Miaka: (sees him also) Ne?! (clasps hands over her mouth, turns red with mirth, and tries to hold it in by wavering from side to side) Mmmmmfph... 

Mitsukake: (monotone) Are you going to save them? The two of them headed for battle as ordered by destiny... 

Miaka: (tries to sound serious saying her line, but can't help giggling at Mits's indifferent expression) But...hehehe...today, they're - ohohoho - in d-d-danger - aaaahaaaa - and...ehehe...and, and...(can't remember) 

Mitsukake: (tugs at the tight skirt, and accidentally loses balance, tripping on his high heels) Oh! 

Miaka: (loses it completely) AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!! (collapses) (bangs fists on the ground) That...was..._killer!!!! _

Narrator: (crawls back to the microphone, glasses slightly crooked and hair disheveled) (sees scene) (sighs) Think we should skip some of this? 

Noir: (pushes button on intercom, as Miaka's laughter echoes) CLAMPraven? Requesting permission to skip scenes...(under her breath)...or better yet, abort the whole damn thing... 

CLAMPraven: (through the intercom) _Abort nothing!!_

Noir: Eep! (covers her mouth) 

CLAMPraven: (through the intercom) _Aw, hell...skip the next...what? 2 scenes? I can't keep track of these things...okay, just fast forward to the part where Michiru sacrifices herself for Haruka. I like that scene. _(distorted sniffles) _So damned romantic ~ !!_

Narrator: (gasps, completely relieved) And I thought she'd never let us off!! (huge grin) Let's have a mini-party! 

Noir: (considers it) Actually, that would stretch to about 10 extra pages we need to save for CLAMP's Tomo side story. Then, she'd really never let us off. 

Narrator: (once again deflated) Ffffff*********ck. 

  
Narrator: (watches as the previous scene is laid waste to, and a new scene unfolds (literally...it was a cardboard scenario), and the actors of the new scene are transported there, materializing in the middle of the room) 

Soi: (she was still sitting down and grasping a coffee when they were transported; immediately, she crashes to the ground, spilling coffee everywhere) WHAT THE HELL?!? (stands up and glares up at ceiling) You...skipped a scene!! TWO...THREE SCENES!!! 

Narrator: (winces) Yes, Soi-chan, but... 

Soi: (brandishes whip threateningly) **WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TRYING TO PULL?!?!?**

Yui: (still clad in a robe, checks surroundings) (spots the end of the walkway, where Chichiri was bound to a board) We...are NOT already doing this scene...!! 

Chichiri: (still sleeping as he hangs from the board, his fuzzy wig askew) Zzzzzz...(snorts) (sleep talking) Tama-neko, no da...you're human! But you don't live in the U.S., no da...and what are you doing in Ryuuen's van...? (falls into a deep stupor again)...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.... 

Narrator: (bashes his head against the wall at the blatant reference to 'Yet Another Story'...) PEOPLE!!! SCENE CHANGE!! GET SOME CLOTHES ON AND DO YOUR WORK!!! 

CLAMPraven: (peers down at the hidden cameras in the dressing rooms) Ah, they're changing! (glares disapprovingly) But Chichiri's gained a little weight...especially in the midsection! (scribbles down extra workout sessions for him in her binder) 

Mitsukake: (stuffs wig and outfit into her costume drawer, very red in the face) (stumbles away) 

CLAMPraven: (hears footsteps) Ah, Mits!! (tries to twirl around in her chair, but then remembers it's not her beloved spinning computer chair, and shifts instead) Ehehehe...so, how was the scene? 

Mitsukake: (narrows eyes) How should it be? 

CLAMPraven: (sweatdrops) I think I deserved that. Aw, I'm sorry, Mits-chan! And the outfit did look awfully tight on you... 

Uranus: (through clenched teeth) Maybe that's because it was 10 sizes too small_..._CLAMPraven? 

CLAMPraven: (considers) Yes, that may very well be it...(eyes bulge out as she recognizes the voice) (slowly turns head around, and is greeted by 10 seishi standing behind her) Eeeeeeeeee...(frozen) 

Neptune: (looking severely disgruntled) You have a lot of explaining to do...I'm supposed to star in your next fiction, and this is unacceptable! 

Chibi-Moon: I was played by a floating midget!! 

Jupiter: I was played by the pyro!!! What the hell?! 

Venus: I was played by a cross-dresser!! (glares) Is that supposed to _imply _something...?! 

Moon: Yeah, and I was played by Miaka! That can't be fair!! (is immediately stared at) What? 

CLAMPraven: Aaaaahahahahaha, senshi, senshi!!! (sweatdrops insanely) I was just about to cancel the production, anyway!! 

Mitsukake: (stares at the monitor) Eep. Too late. 

CLAMPraven:............................................................(clubs Mits) (nervously) Aaaaaaaaaaaaaahahahaha... 

Narrator: (completely unaware of what was happening with CLAMPraven) (narrating)...Uranus couldn't believe that she possessed a talisman within her, so sure was she that she had been plunging into darkness alongside Neptune to fulfill her destiny. 

Narrator: (narrating) Eudial pulled the trigger - but was interrupted! Neptune had broken from her bonds! 

Chichiri: (blinks) HOLD IT, NA NO DA!!!! I know what comes next! Bullets, no da!!! (cowers) 

Yui: (slaps forehead) 

Narrator: How many times did we go over this, Chiri?! They're not real bullets!! And it doesn't actually flash red with blood like it does in the anime!! 

Chichiri: (shrivels back, pressed against the panel) (whimpers) Bullets, no da!! 

Narrator: (sighs, feeling sorry for him) Chichiri... 

(anonymous voice): Run to her!! 

(Everyone's eyes swivel to the shadows...as the curtains of darkness parts in the ways of delicate feet, Chichiri could recognize it's form...Sailorneptune!) 

Neptune: Well? What are you waiting for? (furious) Don't you understand the implications of this act?! If you only had an inkling of how we felt, the passions that ran through our veins, as I was bound to that very board...you would be willing to die for her, here and now. 

Neptune: All that she has gone through, all that she has done for you...what does it matter that she covered it up with an iron mask, and pretended she wasn't worthy of the light of God? What does it matter that she hid her wings, and that she never truly said her heart's desire? What does it matter if she runs away?! (eyes shine with tears) You can catch her, you know. You can catch her...run through the blight of death, through the storm of the world, and catch her before her heart slips away, and the shadows claim her forever!! She is not who she says she is...your love will make her see the truth!! Society can be a living hell...whisk her away!! It's your duty! 

Neptune: Everything is torn away in a single moment of crisis, including doubt...but faith is strong! Run to her...supreme soldier of the tides, Sailorneptune!! 

Chichiri: (awestruck) Neptune... 

(second anonymous voice): And you, soldier of the wind!! Stand! 

Yui: (swivels around, to look at the window...cascading lights of the stars and the moon play off the milky texture of the curtains to reveal the sea's counterpart...the wind) You!! 

Uranus: And what would you do, in turn?! Have you any comprehension of how I felt in this event? (trembling) (holds up her hands) Stained with hellish blood...day after day, night after night, tormenting myself because of what I had to do, the task that we believed to be our destiny...we were supposed to sacrifice the innocents for the sake of something better! But that was the job of a machine...and we were people!! 

Uranus: (voice cracking) You can't understand!! Having to see your lover in such a state...knowing she's going to die for you! You know your mission...you've known for as long as you could remember, and now your lover, the one person who has stood alongside you throughout this nightmare...is forsaking the very mission she had vowed upon you, along with her love!! You don't know how it feels...yes...Neptune...beautiful Neptune, who had been your kin, your sister, your partner...so close to your heart that she was your very flesh and blood...was killing you by destroying her vow!! Questions run through your head...if she were truly loyal, and loved you as much as you loved her, why would she break her vow? 

Uranus: (suddenly solemn, brows furrowed) And suddenly you're tossed into a frightening world where only you are willing to go on...even your partner has torn your trust into pieces and made it clear she didn't have the strength to let you die. And for that you could no longer trust her, nor love her...for it was not to be, not at all. That's why you must stand...stand alone, one in the hurricane, as though you were that machine, that godly machine, brandishing her sword, destined for greatness! And hold your chin high, despite the fact that you are dying inside...!! (fiercely) _Dying!!_

Yui: (disbelieving) Uranus...you...!! 

Uranus: (turns in Neptunes direction) (sadly) It is only later that you realize there is a happiness beyond words that you'd never known... 

Neptune: (gently smiles) And no one had ever told you. Because they knew you'd be too stubborn to believe...but after the bloodshed, you realize where your true loyalties lie. 

Uranus: (nods gently) 

Neptune: (continues, louder, so that the whole stage could hear) And now you shall spread your wings!! Make sadness your power! (turns to the actors) And fly!! 

(Out of every conceivable shadow, the sailor senshi appear. Narrator is shocked at the appearance of nearly everyone except Sailorsaturn, who had been sent back earlier after her lawyers took a vacation.) 

(All senshi:) Fly, because you can believe!! 

Moon: In the power of your own self. (grimly smiles) In the worst of situations, you know you have a reason. 

(Chichiri and Yui stare at each other. The monk's eyes were watery with tears, drenching his eyelashes, as he gazed at the Seiryuu no Miko in a different light...as though she were truly the only one he had ever known. Yui, in turn, stares back at Chichiri, with a silent horror only marked by her eyes...as though he were truly walking forward to greet the devil, to be impaled by waiting swords...and sacrifice himself, as well as all of his duties.) 

(And suddenly, the stage is transformed...) 

CLAMPraven: (panting) (runs up to the stage) Wait, seishi!!! Stop - (widens eyes in amazement as she watches the path to destruction light up with a holy sheen, indescribably beautiful...) Oh..._seishi_... 

Narrator: (badly shaken) (disbelieving) So...this is it. The art of tragedy...on a stage uplifted by the hand of God... 

Soi: (glares at seishi) So wait - I don't get a tutorial, but _they _do?! (scared) 

Pluto: (quietly) All evil must be extinguished...by the strike of Destiny's clock. (raises staff) The fated moment has come!!! 

(Chichiri rips away from the panel, tears gleaming, and dashes in Yui's direction. Yui's eyes widen in fear, as the last and final scene finally crashes into place...) 

Chichiri: (screaming) Uranus!! 

Chichiri: Haruka...I won't let you die!! 

Yui: (panic) Wait, Neptune, don't move!! 

Narrator: NOW!! 

(Noir, in the very next studio, presses the lever...the target is locked within nanoseconds, and as if following a counterattack of the devil, hundreds of artificial bullets fly out of their place, and hurled themselves at Chichiri. The stage explodes in blinding smoke, as one last scream tears itself from the seishi...) 

Yui: (horrorstruck) No...((now enveloped in the tragedy completely) NEPTUNE!!!!! 

Yui: (weakly) No...no, no, no...it shouldn't have happened like this...!!! Doushite...doushite?!? (sobbing) 

(The whole stage is draped over with a fearsome, chaotic silence. Offstage, CLAMPraven, out of pure instinct, bites her fingernails in anxiety, and stares up helplessly at the stage. There is no movement. There is not a single sound...) 

Narrator: (blanches, as Noir walks into his box to inspect) Noir...tell me you put fake bullets into those guns. 

Noir: (eyes widen) Well, of course I did!! I mean, they would tear his clothes, but they won't actually harm him! (narrows eyes; as noted in the bio, Noir has a terrible memory) I think... 

Narrator: (grips her by the shoulders) WHAT?!? 

(Agonizingly slowly, the smoke clears, as the crowd waits in terror...) 

(...And everyone is shocked.) 

Chibimoon: (blinks) (rubs eyes, and blinks again) No one's there!! 

Chichiri: (clears throat awkwardly) 

(Everybody turns around, and is even more shocked to find Chichiri, perfectly well, standing in a corner of the stage unnoticed and grasping his shoulder, grinning nervously.) 

Chichiri: (sweatdrops) (hides kesa behind his back) Gomen nasai, na no da...the first bullet hit and I sort of chickened out, no da. (winces) Ehehehehe...heh? 

(whole crew): ........................................................................................................................................................... 

(Crickets chirp) 

Narrator: (completely overwhelmed to the point of bursting) One...rubbery...bullet...one damned rubbery bullet...one f*cking teensy weensy bullet that couldn't have even killed a goddamned mosquito...(screeches)** AND YOU DESTROY THE PLAY?!?!?!?! **

(The sound system completely overloads and explodes. Feedback rings over the whole stage, and everyone screams...Narrator is held back by Noir from jumping in and pummeling Chichiri, veins popping right and left...while the news sinks in.) 

(senshi): NANI?!? 

Uranus: WTF?!? (turns to Pluto) What the hell happened?! I thought you said the stage glowing would help them get the damn thing right!! 

Pluto: (shrugs and mumbles incoherently) I dunno... (twiddles thumbs) 

Nuriko: (in the set) (blinking) What just happened? 

Hotohori: (raises a slim eyebrow) By the looks of it...(stunned) CLAMPraven might actually die for real this time...!! (immediately whips out a camcorder) 

Neptune: (eyes bulging out in rage) You...massacred...THE GRAND FINALE!!!!! (whips out katana) **SHI-NE!!!!!!!!**

CLAMPraven: (winces painfully, as Kaioh-san suddenly bore a striking resemblance to a certain assassin of Weiss...) Neptune-san, that doesn't belong to you... 

(senshi): (all whip out random weapons of mass destruction that don't belong to them) CHAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGE!!!!!!! 

(cast of SM parody): (grabs Chichiri and holds him up) HUMAN SACRIFICE!!!! 

(senshi): Who gives a f*ck?! (all turn huge and angry) **DEATH REBORN REVOLUTION!!!!!**

(Screen fizzes out...) 

_~ A couple of days later... ~_

Miaka: (pouts, as the tape ends up in gray fuzz, and Narrator stops and rewinds the tape) (is covered in stitches from the thighs down) How come it works for them and not for us?! (glares around) Ne?! 

CLAMPraven: (lying in bed with 37 stitches, hair roasted, and various casts) That...(raises finger glued inside cast)...is one of life's great mysteries. (glares) And I don't ever want to find out. 

CLAMPraven: (turns to audience) Through this experience, we've learned quite a few things. Firstly: never attempt another parody. Secondly: the kesa and kasa must be at least 50 feet away from the monk at all times. Thirdly - last but not least: when Neptune is really angry with someone after they'd represented her like shit, she goes for the shins. _The shins!!! _(slaps herself) I think I've lost all available good connections with the senshi...it'll take another month just to convince the girls to come back for my Michiru fic!! (snaps fingers) Damn me!! 

Narrator: (head is bandaged from the feedback explosion) Well, at least we got a wee bit of what we can call a parody spoof! 

Noir: (absolutely no wounds because she's a shadow spirit) (scratches chin thoughtfully) Well, even by our standards, that wasn't much of a parody spoof... 

Tamahome: (huge cast for his neck) (gruffly) Thath...wash ridhiculoush. 

CLAMPraven: (blinks) Eh? 

Juri/Jenny: (enters the room with a fresh batch of flowers) Didn't you all see it? (Cheshire cat smirk) Tamahome got socked in the jaw by Chibimoon. (amazed) Damn, but the pint-sized cotton candy princess has a better right hook than I give her credit for!! 

Tamahome: (glares) Bullshith!! 

Taikou: (also enters the room, with dandelions and daffodils) (cheerfully) Well, the people never expect much more than mayhem anyway! I say let's give them what they came for! (worriedly) Especially since you've been holding out on the poor reviewers for an extra week now... 

CLAMPraven: Yeah, you're right...(stares at seishi and the rest of them, who were all bandaged up and bruised in every conceivable place, especially Chichiri, who was nearly murdered)...I owe it to them! And I'm sorry about what happened...but I'll make up for it in the rest of Juri! And Tomo and Yui get special spots for my short story! 

(Tomo and Yui): (grin in tandem) 

(other seishi): (mutters of forgiveness/consent) 

Tasuki: (lifting up his bandaged arm, and balancing his crutch on the side of his wheelchair) What the f*ck's up with Narrator?! 

Narrator: (turning blotchy and red) ACHOO!! (sniffs) 

CLAMPraven: (narrows eyes) Hm...I forgot. He's allergic to dandelions. (glares at Taikou) Throw them out. 

Taikou: (hastily throws them out the window; a cat screeches) (sweatdrops) 

CLAMPraven: Sorry about that, Narrator-chan...(pats Narrator's back)...I guess we would've all known had I put it in your bio, but it didn't really fit anywhere...okeedo? 

Narrator: ACHOO!! (disdainfully) Just get on with it!! 

* * *

**And now, as a bonus, for those of you who have been so patient it hurt me to have delayed so long...**

**And for those of you, in particular, who believe in the other side of the painted mask...**

**I give you...**

**A short story insertion - bonus time!**

**Second division of 'Makeup', taking place before Juri's second entrance to the Universe of the Four Gods, with CLAMPraven and Hitori...**

**And after the war between Kutou and Konan...**

**Tomo's story: "Rain"**

**(Sidenote: In case you can't remember what had happened to Yui and the Seiryuu in this story, look back on the second special!)**

* * *

~Tomo~

It had been done.

The monastery, shimmering flashes of emerald and gold in the rain, had finally been completed. In one last desperate surge of emotion, we'd gathered our senses and built the only shrine in the history of Kutou, dedicated to a Miko...the late Hongo Yui...our pride and soul.

The new emperor, a boy of 10 and most likely one of the deceased emperor's bastard children, could not have possibly cared any less where to put this symbol of loyalty and strength...the original plan of a huge monastery had been discarded, leaving a horribly simple new rendition of the shrine, that was to be set up in the countryside. 

Seiryuu...and I thought our monarchy couldn't be any more idiotic...

The quaint, modest monument was chiseled from simple stones...not really the treasures of Kutou's underground, as can be told by a child. Wood supported most of the building, along with scrolls of protection, damp and worn from the raining bullets. Small chimes were set to hang from the heading, assembled atop the doorway, and dull ribbons draped around the askew columns. Even the inside was poorly constructed...the architects and artisans have only recently moved in a stone statuette of Yui, surrounded by dragons...it was to be put in the main hall, along with other sculptures of my now deceased comrades...

It was a pathetic representation of what our miko meant to us, I decided, after a few moments of staring at it, and turned my back upon the shack, walking away into the woods... 

The grass below my feet were soggy and swamped with rainwater; eventually, the condition of walking became so dingy I had to raise my robes and tiptoe through...around the woods was a disheveled, waterlogged carriage, waiting for me...and my tip.

Damn this.

I thought I was the only cowardly one...

Sighing, I swept a long sleeve across my forehead, and continued marching back. The rain was beating harder upon my head...and a fog was setting in. I could no longer see clearly. Even the shadows of the trees have disappeared, vaporized with the cold muck and the endless drizzle... 

A world full of illusions...

"Shameful...how we're all cowards...and the only one of us who was strong enough to stand is now dead...with no glory or honor in her name. Yui..."

For a while I had hidden away. I couldn't even face myself.

My last fight with the Suzaku Shichiseishi seems like years ago...Suboshi, Soi, Miboshi and I were planning a counterattack, only days after Ashitare had been slaughtered. But we were poorly equipped and badly outnumbered, and as Soi and Miboshi made their escape, I only stayed long enough to see Tamahome making his kill...

_"Suboshi...no, NO!!!!!"_

_"Yui...ai...aishiteru..."_

I didn't think death would be so painful. I had never thought of the consequences. When Suboshi was silenced, I only thought to shield myself with illusions and run away...but there were so many of them. The illusions I had barely protected me. Shin was destroyed that day. I couldn't believe I had nearly died.

But it was nearly too late realizing that I wasn't invincible. I thought hallucinations would protect me...but they weren't real. I wasn't real. Just a dirty rat and a cowardly bastard...

_Pant, pant. "I can't face Nakago after this...I can't...he'll kill me! And he...already loves...Soi..."_

I cried myself to sleep. 

After running away to Sairo from Konan, I had found the stage again...a small, traveling opera had been willing to take me in. But after many nights of exhausting performances, a large troop from Konan rode into our county...and the Miko and her blue-haired seishi stepped out. To the stunned townspeople, they stated that my Miko had died...that everyone had died. And that they were looking for the survivor.

Me.

But what good was it?

I was due back in the capital tonight. To the citizens, I owed a speech, about the death of the Seiryuu Shichiseishi. But how could I have said it, when I barely knew them? How could I even face everyone, as a vagabond condemned with guilt and betrayal to my dearest Miko, and plead their courage? My innocence? Neither of those things existed...not for us seishi. Not for us.

It was a madman's conspiracy that I lived in, where the governing deities cheated their own people, and children were abandoned on the streets...Yui was, perhaps, the kindest person I'd ever known. She had never spoken a bad word to me, even in her troubled times and undergoing trauma...even though there was two sides to her. The first side I knew well...as wise as she was beautiful, as concerned as she is dignified, she was a perfect person. But somehow, it seems as though she had a second personality at times, when she was a crazed lunatic of passion, and would cry for nights and nights, as though the world was nearing it's end. She was truly mentally unhealthy, I would note at times...for she had undergone so much, without ever shedding a tear in daylight. 

It wasn't her fault...and as we continued to be defeated by the Suzaku Seishi, her happiness, her wonderful, kind side, began to show itself less and less. And I was the one who killed that side of her...by letting Suboshi die.

I killed Hongo Yui. 

"I was terrible...Mistress Yui...I'm so sorry..." I bowed my head. "It's shameful...everyone's gone now. And even now, an apology is too little, too late..." Tears streamed down my cheeks. "If only you can hear me..."

Yui...there was no verdict delivered upon my head...but I knew she would be ashamed of me now.

"_Tomo..._"

"What the - ?!" My head shot up immediately. By now, I was surrounded by haze, and I squinted through my tears to see the figure running up to me. It wasn't clear who it was...but a silhouette smaller than me, and frail, was about to emerge. "Who...?"

"_Tomo...you're apologizing, aren't you?_"

My eyes widened in shock.

It was Yui.

Standing amidst the clouds of water, as pale as a sheet, was Yui...she gazed at me with gentle blue eyes, her school uniform swishing in the breeze, as I backed away, hardly daring to believe what I saw. Perhaps it was my crying that distorted my vision?

No...I dared not think that...not when she was standing so close...not when I'm seeing her again, as impossible as it was!!

"Yui...?!" I gasped, clutching the bark of a nearby tree. "You...you're..."

"_Did I ever mentioned that you look beautiful without makeup, Tomo?_" She smiled, a sight so familiar that it nearly made me stumble. Although her pallor was that of a ghost...and I didn't doubt that was what she was...and her voice was but a whisper of the breeze, so soft that I could barely catch her words...it was no doubt this was my miko. "_It's good to see you again..._" 

I turned the other way, unable to face her. 

How could you face a loved one who had passed away? How could you?

It was true...Yui had said that, when she was still alive. Upon checking on my wounds, late one night, she saw me without makeup...she was fascinated ever since. Soi's curious eye and Nakago's disapproving glances had followed us ever since..."Tomo, stop wearing your makeup! You look pretty without it!" and "Tomo, why do you wear your makeup? You're no longer in the opera!". She was almost getting as frightful as the Suzaku no Miko. 

The thought brought a smile to my face despite myself. 

I knew I had to look back at her...she probably couldn't stay long.

Forcing myself to turn back, I glanced at her from the corner of my eye; during that glance, I saw a particularly pixyish smile on her face, and realized that I probably was blushing. I had abandoned my makeup ever since I found out Yui had died...as a tribute to a courageous soul once walking upon this earth. It destroyed my cover...but I've found more and more harem ladies at the palace staring at me in a way I was never stared at before...and though it sounded blunt, I quite liked the attention.

"_I've missed you, you know,_" she went on quietly, as though suddenly saddened by the obvious thought, still keeping her translucent eyes on me. "_Everyone else is in the castle in the sky...everyone except you, Tomo. And they miss you, too...but most of them are already reborn. I'm not reborn yet...neither is Suboshi. He forgives you...there was nothing you could've done. Taiitsu-kun promised us she'd revive us together._" 

"_You're so brave...living in this wretched world, but living, nonetheless...a true soldier._"

"A...true soldier? Brave?" I scoffed, laughing cruelly at the sentiment of my priestess. "You don't understand...I live because I'm too afraid to die...what kind of irony are you trying to preach?"

"_I'm not trying to preach irony. You'd always been too disapproving of yourself to be of any good...that's why people treated you like you did. Some still do._" She sighed, a depressed wisp of air escaping her hollow projection. "_One day you'll find that you're not so awful. Think about it. I say you're brave because you are...perhaps you weren't so brave when you ran away from Suboshi and your country in their time of need...but I know you're brave. You're one of the bravest people I know...because you apologized._"

I stared at her.

"_Everyone can feel guilty, but it was you who acknowledged it strongly and told me, when you had the chance. You...__are a wonderful person. And underneath everything you try to hide behind, you are kind, and gentle, and artistic...anyone would love you if you step out of the shadows. I'm sure of that...you may not be as sure as I, but underneath the illusions, there is a trusting heart. Trust me, Tomo._"

"But how can I trust you when I don't even know if you're real...?" I whispered. 

I regretted it immediately.

For a while, we were both silent. The fog had started to drift away...and the rain had dispersed. Already, birds were singing. And I realized, with panic, that Yui was fading away...

"Yui!!!" I screamed, reaching out to her...but she placed a transparent finger upon my lips, and shook her head silently.

"_It's okay..._"

"How can it be okay?! I'll never see you again..."

"_Don't say such things, Tomo. I may not be able to change your mind, nor your heart...I can't visit you after this. Say hello to Miaka for me...tell her I've long since forgiven her as well. It isn't her fault she's innocent..._"

She was disappearing right before my eyes. With shock, I found that I was crying as well, as her ki drifted closer and closer to the sky...even her smile, so vivid it was imprinted in my mind, was erased by the wind...

"_One day, you'll find someone who can __love you more than I..._"

"_...And when you do, that person will change you forever._"

I was left with a clearing sky, the sharp notes of the songbirds, and my own misery. But it was as though an empty space had been filled inside me...with the warm light of the sun. As if everything was fitting into place.

"Someone will love me..."

-

~Chichiri~

"What the hell are you looking at, Chiri? You've been staring out of that same f*cking window for hours!! It's cold, you know!! Close the damn thing!!"

It's true. I was staring out the window, opened wide...at first, to look at the moon, for it seemed to reflect the radiance of the sun at me. I thought perhaps, its sheen would disperse my sadness at the events lately.

But then I noticed something else.

Miaka and Tomo were sitting together, on the porch step in the garden of the Kutou palace. We had been invited to the speech and the opening of Yui Hongo's monastery, conducted by Tomo...whom we barely recognized without his attire and makeup (and Tasuki screeched a very bad word when he did). 

Miaka had been upset all day. Yui was one of her closest friends. But now...

The two of them sat together, seemingly discussing something. But I heard only melodious conversation, and every once in a while, giggles...my eyebrows creased with curiosity. 

I leaned out further...

What were they up to?

"Really, Yui told you that?" Miaka was chirping quieter than usual. 

"Unless she was a figment of my imagination..." Tomo's voice.

A pause. 

"Thank you for telling me this...I miss her, too."

"She'll be reborn with Suboshi...she told me. Taiitsu-kun probably allowed her to see me just before her reincarnation. She'll be fine..."

Yet another pause.

"You know what?"

"What?"

"You two are just like me and Nuriko were...he's in a better place now. But you would've liked him...he was always cheerful, funny...didn't have a problem with men, either! He would've loved to have seen you without the paint..."

"Really? Sounds a bit too good to be true...hey, wait. You mean the crossdresser?!"

I turned around, and the conversation diminished into giggles behind me. Scratching my chin, I tried to make sense of it all...but was stopped by one very loud bandit's cry of help.

"Chiri!! Close the f*cking window!! ACHOO!!!"

* * *

Ja ne. (bows)

-CLAMPraven 


	47. And Now, to Screw up the Whole Damned Pr...

**"Juri"**

**-from girl to oracle-**

**By CLAMPraven**

**SPECIAL COLLECTION**

* * *

~ And Now, to Screw up the Whole Damned Production! ~

Part 4 of the Legend of Juri Special - Nightfall

* * *

_Taikou: Ah! Minna!! (waves) Konnichiwa! Sakurayume Taikou, reporting for introduction duties! (salutes)_

_Taikou: CLAMPraven's even later updating this time!! (cries) At school, however, she does have a science project, a math assignment, and an English report, so be extremely kind if this chapter didn't turn out as well as expected...although she doesn't mind redoing something you hate! As well, she wasn't able to add a character profile on me and Enri-chan for the last update, so she said she'd do so this time. Hopefully she can remember!_

_Taikou: As you probably know from her author's notes, in this chapter, we get to crash in a hotel and tell bedtime stories about ourselves! This, of course, involves romantic pasts and whatnot, so hopefully you remember the things that have happened and can keep up! Enri and I play a big part in this one - we get two stories, instead of the customary one, because...well, CLAMPraven loves us. ^-^;; Really. There's not much more to say...(blinks) Eh?_

_Enri: (enters the room holding a cup of coffee)_

_Taikou: Enri? (smiles) Ohayo! You've got duty today as well?!_

_Enri: (sits down on the mat opposite) (sips coffee) CLAMPraven figured that since this chapter had so much of us in it, it's only appropriate. (yawns loudly) Shit...didn't sleep a wink last night. Had to straighten out matters with the senshi regarding the last parody...(narrows eyes) Thank Suzaku that the Starlights were there. If Starhealer didn't like me as much as she did, I would've probably died. (sighs) I think it's the silver hair..._

_Taikou: (hugs him) Awww, sweetie..._

_Enri: (shoves him away) Get away from me. We cuddle later._

_Taikou: (sighs) Enri-chan...(shakes head) there are certain moments for romantic denial, but now is not the time! I know you're shy about acting nice in front of the audience, but you own me 5 times the cuddles later. Ahem! (holds up piece of paper) As the shortest review response CLAMPraven has ever had us conduct and will ever have us conduct - _

_Enri: (interjects) Which is ironic enough, considering she had Taikou of all people to conduct it..._

_Taikou: (glares) - She has compiled this to say. "1) Iiiiiya!!! Sansele, you're gifted?! (eyes bulge out) Kewl!! Yes...now put down the shakujou of doom, and step away from the innocent MIB...(sweatdrops) Borrow my characters for your fics, but **please do not make it a sequel, or even nearly like a sequel**. Rather, separate your fic from mine. Kudos if you decide to make shounen-ai from it!! (nearly cries at the thought that someone liked her characters this much!) 2) (hands Draconsis an antiperspirant) In case you ever need to suffer through another ridiculous parody courtesy of moi. (nods vigorously) 3) SilverDragoness...aww...I wuv new reviewers! 4) Chibigreen...thank you for saying that the parody was any good!! And Death's Angel deserved to have been mentioned...otherwise, I'd be a tad inconsiderate, ne? 5) AAAAAAAAIEEEEEE!!! LIEZ!!! (glomps for dear life) Don't leeeeeeeaaaaaavvvvvvveeeeeee... 6) Tomo and Chiri? Remus Lupin? Sanomi...you and I have very different tastes. Update Passport not Required! NOW!! ^-^;;; 7) ROKU!!! Damn!! (bursts out laughing at the compliments) You truly are down to earth, complimenting such a humble fic! I wouldn't call you a parvenu (from CS, you've portrayed yourself as a normal, if not boisterous personality...hardly befitting a talented writer), but you seem not to mind your reputation as a successful fanfiction authoress, which is very, very good indeed! 8) **To Kai and everyone else who is horribly confused from the SM parody!! READ SECOND AUTHOR'S NOTE AT THE END OF THIS!**"_

_Taikou: Hm...(folds up paper) Somehow not as short as I'd expected...(sweatdrops) _

-CLAMPraven 

* * *

~Jenny~

We were transported, in several limousines, to the Hotel L'Ermitage, a block away from the fountain.

You may be wondering why we're in limos when we could teleport, or what the hell the Hotel L'Ermitage is doing outside of Quebec City.

...Well, it may be just a hunch, but I think Suzaku's spoiling the seishi.

"TURN DOWN THE MUSIC!!!!" I screamed, blocking my ears as I was squished to one side of the back seat by the mad zigzags of Tasuki's not-so-perfect driving.

"WHAT?!" Nuriko yelled back, still immersed in the sounds of Danko Jones's blaring rock music.

"TURN - DOWN - THE - **MUSIC!!!!!!!**"

"Holy shit!!!" Tasuki swerved out of the way of a huge TTC bus, making the tires burn with fury and squeal sharply - and swerved the exact opposite way to avoid crashing into a beetle and a funeral car; rolling down the window at 80 miles an hour, he screamed curses out the window at the other drivers, all the while brandishing his tessen. "F*CK ~ OFF!!!!!"

"Tasuki!!! What the hell are you doing?!" Tamahome lunged for the steering wheel. "You're gonna get us killed!!"

"When I said f*ck off, I meant YOU!!" Shoving Tamahome's skull into the glass window, the bandit suddenly heard an approaching siren, and immediately stared at the (now smashed) rearview mirror in curiosity. "Eh? What the f*ck is that car doing? Juri, cars don't goddamn sing, right?"

"...'Cause I'm the man with the black hat!!! This is the sound of loooooooooooooooooooove..." CLAMPraven, Miaka, and Nuriko's voices dropped several octaves, to imitate the lead singer, and roared with laughter when it drew to an end, with CLAMPraven jumping up and down on the seat, strumming an air guitar. 

I slapped my forehead.

"Suzaku, either I'm even more brain-dead than I think right now, or you are doing this _ON PURPOSE!!!!_" I hissed to the redhead, who hummed while swaying side to side, completely oblivious to the mayhem.

"What?!" Suzaku pretended not to have heard it, cupping a hand to his ear.

Groaning inwardly, I leaned the other way, trying desperately to think of the pros of life and existance. Having to be stuck in a limousine with him was enough, but with another 5 seishi...

"We're here!!" Tamahome tossed over his shoulder, as Tasuki screeched to a halt, the police car stopping as well behind us. From the side, I could see the other limousines pulling up from behind...

"ACK!!" CLAMPraven jumped, hit her forehead on the ceiling of the car, and landed in the foot space. 

"Oh!"

"CLAMPraven!!"

"Suzaku........!!!" I whapped him over the head, and kicked the door open. "Get out! Everybody, OUT!! Miaka, pick up CLAMPraven - Nuriko, get the pyro away from Tamahome, please!! Oh, and the air guitar looks like this...you've got to hold your hands about - that - far apart, Nuri-chan..." 

-

Eventually, in a haphazardly mess, we all arrived at the front desk.

Tasuki, after a very heated scrimmage with the police, eventually lit the limousines on fire. After a gaseous array of explosions that left us stunned, Suzaku finally decided to quit it, making the police, the remainder of the detonated limos, and Tasuki's tessen disappear with a click of his fingers.

Naturally, the bandit was very pissed.

"F*CKING GIVE ME BACK MY TESSEN!!" He pounced on Suzaku - literally - and knocked him to the floor as we all crowded into the small reception area. Behind me, I could see a confused SD Chichiri getting stuck in the rotating doors, and CLAMPraven yelling directions at him as he spun round and round dazedly. "GODDAMN CHICKEN!!"

Suzaku pursed his lips in consideration, even under the grip of the other redhead. I guess it was true...a god in all his normal splendor should be able to do nearly anything...including taking Tasuki's flame away and not being an ass about it.

He chuckled, and a fist flew up to connect heavily with Tasuki's jaw. As his eyes bulged out in shock, Suzaku was able to hoist the bandit off the floor, throw him over the reception desk - he hit the secretary square in the face - and sat up nonchalantly, dusting off his sleeves as the rest of us gaped.

"SUZAKU!!! Not in public!!" I screamed; later, as CLAMPraven would eventually bring to my attention, my hands had already formed claws around an invisible neck, as though I was strangling a chicken.

Oh, the wonders of the subconscious...

"Ah...you silly, silly bandit..." Suzaku grinned widely as a fuming Tasuki flipped over the reception desk, and the female secretary blushed, trying to regain composure. "Honestly...if you killed me, how would you ever get your tessen back? And..." he added with a particularly cheeky grin, "I don't suppose _you _can speak French?"

CLAMPraven and I both blinked, taken aback, and stared at each other. (The bandit wasn't taken aback, because he had no idea what French was.) In all the excitement, we'd forgotten that the staff at the Hotel L'Ermitage were from Quebec, and every single one spoke French.

"French?!" The Nyan-Nyan turned to me. "Canadians speak French, too?!"

"We have to...it's a part of our curriculum, sort of like how Americans have to learn Spanish," I explained, knowing that CLAMPraven's knowledge of this world only extended a couple of grades above mine, as she left when she was 14. "Right now, I only know a few basic sentence structures right now, though...and I probably can't make decent conversation with it, but..."

I blinked.

Studying my lover, who was already booking suites for us, the chatter of the other seishi and friends around me died, as a thought struck me.

"You don't think..." I narrowed my eyes suspiciously, "...that Suzaku didn't choose the Hotel L'Ermitage for its luxuriousness, but more for its foreign tongue? Suzaku is more cunning than I give him credit for. This way...he and the other Mikotos are the only ones who can really speak French and communicate with the staff fluently...they can use this to gain the upper hand right now, but also, they'll..."

"...Use it to make this one hell of an insane night," CLAMPraven concluded for me, "without us ever knowing what hit us." 

We glared at each other.

"SHIT...!!"

"Daaaa!!!" Behind us, Chichiri flew out of the spinning doors - due to a kick by Hitori, coming up from behind him.

"Hitori!" Kano elbowed him disapprovingly.

"What the hell..." Hitori narrowed his eyes. "They're gonna die by Suzaku sooner or later..."

* * *

_It was only a few seconds after that the chicken god had booked several luxurious rooms upstairs...the twenty-something clueless guests ran up to check on their suites, Tasuki lagging behind indignantly at his loosing the tessen. _

_They were pleasantly surprised._

_Inside each and every room, Suzaku had laden the interiors with karaoke sets, game systems, an assortment of cosplay clothes that looked like they very well could've been stolen from the fitting room of Card Captor Sakura, laptops, manga, anime...as well as Playboy magazines, condoms, and a variety of other unmentionables (Jenny could've sworn she'd seen a dildo lying in the corner). In other words, a few of Suzaku's favorite things. _

_This, of course, made up the havoc of most of the night. And while something like this was bound to occur sooner or later, and she wasn't usually a party pooper, Jenny made it her business to make sure that her lover did not go too far with his antics - i.e., did not hire French-speaking lap dancers for entertainment._

_Just in case (Of course, he did hire room service, but the waiter was a man, as Jenny would find out, and so laid her worries down to rest eventually)._

_But of course, it turned out to be strange enough without it, believe you me._

* * *

~Hitori~

And so the night went on, in a rather haphazardly fashion.

No, wait...not even. As all of us just couldn't possibly bear to leave each other, we all crowded into one of our hotel rooms, and all hell broke loose. Most likely, you could say that common sense flew out the window, along with a microphone, several pieces of fruit, about a hundred odd pillows, and one Shakujou. This...is roughly how it went down.

_7:30 - karaoke_. We not only learn that Aya is an addict, but also sings like a herniated cat.

"Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah...how long must you wait for him? Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaah...how long must you pay for him?! Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa - "

The sound of a pillow slamming into the back of Aya's head.

"OW!!!"

"Get off the f*cking stage!!!" 

"But - "

"Ow!! I'm getting a headache..."

"Aw..." The sound of Miaka getting up on the bed next to Aya. "Don't be so mean about it! I'm sure that if _I _sing along with Aya-chan, we'll both sound great!"

"......................."

The sounds of every single pillow in the entire room - along with the few couch cushions, a bar of soap, and a condom - flying up to hit the two of them.

"F*CKING TURN OFF THIS - wait..." Tasuki took his time to glance at the package... "...COLDPLAY CRAP!!" Pause. "Juri, what in the goddamn encyclopedia of all names is Coldplay?"

"Stop it! I like Coldplay!"

"You like Coldplay?!"

"Come on, you guys, lay off it!" 

Crash (I was responsible for that one; had to throw the damn microphone out the window).

The sound of Nuriko scampering over to the other karaoke sets. "Oooooh...who's this Madonna person?"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO..."

_8:15 - Super Smash Bros. Melee. _We were graced with Tasuki and Tamahome's Dragonball Z-esque showdown (Mario vs. Pikachu), though neither of them really gave a shit about learning the proper usage of the buttons. 

Rather, beating each other silly while trying to learn about the proper usage of the buttons was generally more effective.

"DAMN YOU!!!" Punch. Sounds of the game beeping.

"Get your f*cking fat-ass rat off the field...!!!" Kick. "And stay the hell away from that tomato!"

"I'm getting the damn tomato!"

"Kisama! I'm getting - "

Tackle. Kick. Punch. 

"I'M GETTING THE DAMN THING!! MOVE OVER, ASSHOLE!" Various beeping of the game. The smash of a controller flying out the window.

"Stop it!" The whap of Juri's pillow smacking an anonymous object. 

The click of the game system going off.

"What the f*ck - "

"Oops. Aaaaaaahahahahahahahah..." Sweatdrop.

"JURI!!!"

_9:00 - a visit from our surprised room service. _

"Don't steal the last..."

"...lobster, you pigs!!"

"Akira!! Suzano!!" Pinch, pinch. Scuffling sounds. "You've already eaten six!!!"

"What's this? No fresh meat?"

(At this point, Irasa eyed the poor waiter with such a beastly fanged frown that he screamed and ran with his cart down to the next hall...and right on into the elevator, scattering dishes left and right. Spotting a small fried delicacy she hadn't earlier, the snake girl bent down near the carpet, examined its authenticity, and promptly swallowed it whole. Apparently, being human, she did like to eat both monstrously _and_ frequently.) 

"Irasa!! Hey, I wanted that quail!! No, wait...Suzaku! Don't hog the dumplings to yourself!"

"Aaaargh!!! Miaka - ugh - get off!!!!" Struggling. "Taiitsu-kun, have mercy!! I didn't MEAN to summon such a fat priestess!!"

"My goodness; what do you know. It's the attack of the homicidal Suzaku no Miko." Pause. "Ooh, rhyme...could sell millions with _that _one..."

Slap. "Hitori!!"

And meanwhile, in another corner of the room, where a different kind of food was being argued over...

"I'm getting the damn tomato!!" Beep, beep.

"No, I'M getting the f*cking tomato!!!"

_9:19 - cosplay. _In which, I might add, our theory of Chichiri looking good in an apron was proved correct.

"DAAAAAAAAAAAA!!"

The mad thumping of footsteps around the room, and random pillow smacking. 

"Come on, Chichiri!! Put on the dress!"

"It's not so bad, Chichiri! If it looked good on Cardcaptor Sakura, I'd say it'd look good on you!"

"IIE, NO DA!!!!" Smack. "Oops, na no da." Huge gasp. "DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA..."

_~ 10 seconds later ~_

"Awwwwwwwwww..."

"What an adorable look!"

"...Stop it, no da." Sweatdrop.

"Okay!" Clap. "Now, let's see if Enri can squeeze into that cute multicolored sailor fuku I saw earlier!"

"......................................................................................"

_10:50 - the Sailormoon SuperS movie. _We did this for no reason other than to make Suzaku cry. 

Oh, hell, it was worth the effort. We could've brought the dub, but that would make us cry along with, so it was not an option.

"**NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!** SHUT IT OFF!!!" The sounds of Suzaku trying to lunge at the television set, while being held back by Nuriko. "SHUT IT OFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF - "

"(the sound of Three O' Clock Fairy playing in the movie) _M__o-onaka panpan, nattsupan ni anpan..._"

"SHUT IT OFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF!!!!!!!" Bashing of furniture.

Apparently, at this point, our dear, dumbass friend Aya decided...good Lord...to sing along.

"Wakuwwaku da ne waffuru, donna toki mo do-natsu!!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!" 

Explosions of fire erupted all around the room. A metal object came hurling out from nowhere and nailed Aya in the head for his valiant effort in trying to destroy the world via karaoke.

"Hey!! My tessen!!"

"Suzaku, watch out!! You're going to wake up the people downstairs - "

"MUST - KILL - GODDAMNED - SUGAR - FAIRIES!!!!!" An explosion that nearly killed Chiriko and Irasa, who were squatting near the TV. "PERURU!! DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE ~ !!!!!!!"

_10:55 - a visit from the management. _

(Now this...truly was killer.)

(The manager was a lady...fluent in French, prim and dignified...a real stick...I nearly felt sorry for her when she heard the complaints from downstairs (some French kids heard the unmistakable death threat to Peruru and feared it was an Al Qaeda terrorist), marched up here, and saw not the damage nor the trash, but - no mistake - Enri and Taikou on one of the beds, kissing.)

(The lady was a homophobic prick in the ass, and gasped immediately. Obviously, Taikou had something to say about that. Just a hunch, but I'm assuming he saved the grand rant of the millennium for an occasion when he'd meet an idiot this conceited.) 

(Shutting the door, affronted, he stood outside with the lady and screamed his lungs out for approximately...1 and a half hours, as I calculated it from the clock.)

(He was trying to make it brief.)

_12:25_.

"...And you may prejudice in your abominable tongue and point your accusing little finger, oh yes, but you will never take away the precious freedom of those who choose to love freely!!!" Taikou raged on at the doorway. "You can plead and prod and poke, as will the rest of this unforgiving society, with whichever religious rhetoric that you choose, but you will NOT prevent Enri and I from having, hot, sweaty gay sex TONIGHT!! GOODBYE!!!"

Slam.

Everyone stared in muted shock as Taikou, gratuitously dusting his hands off, pursed his satisfied lips and walked, head high, away from the door.

"Taikou..." Kano blinked beside me, to prevent his eyes from bulging out of their sockets, "...just out of curiosity...no offense...did she give an inkling of a hint that she understood a word you said?"

Taikou tilted his head in confusion.

"Well, surely, the spirit of the gestures were enough...?"

CLAMPraven brought a hand to her forehead. "Good Lord, spare us the irony..."

Chiriko turned to look at Enri hopefully. "I'm assuming his reference to hot, sweaty gay sex was just improvising?"

"I'm pretty sure we didn't talk about it - nani?!" Enri glared at the child prodigy with amazement and horror. "How can you talk about intercourse so lightly?!" He narrowed his eyes. "Must've been Suzaku..."

"A few porn tapes can do a lot to a kid," Juri agreed reluctantly, answering for Suzaku, as the chicken god was still lying on the bed, staring up at the ceiling and muttering curses about 'homicidal pink-haired donkey children'. We think the SuperS movie wasn't going to traumatize him permanently. 

But in the event that it perhaps was, I would kiss Taiitsu-kun's wrinkly ass and be eternally happy despite.

"It is already past midnight..." Mits commented quietly, "...probably the longest some of us had ever stayed up, with our curfews in Konan. Roughly time for the younger ones to get to bed as well, I'd say..."

"Huh?"

"Aw, Mits!!"

"What other mayhem do you suggest we wreak tonight before we tuck them in, Suzaku?"

Suzaku scratched his chin, looking frightfully thoughtful for a second. Then, without further ado, as though he wasn't actually thinking at all, he quickly muttered the following two words which nearly made us all facevault. 

"Story time."

At that point in time, I only gaped at him, my jaw flapping open like a limp, contorted fish. Little did I know of the thoughts running through his head...it was only later that I realized that this night was not a complete waste because of those two horrible, horrible little words...no. Not at all. Suzaku wanted us to know about one another. In time, we would all know what good this has done us, that these stories of ours...how precious they all were as memories of one final night together.

But for the moment, we were all scared as hell, so that was that.

* * *

_And it was so. _

_Okay, so it wasn't as easy as that, but..._

* * *

~Taikou~

"Me?!" I yelped, edging out of the circle nervously. "W-W-Why me?!"

"Because Suzaku must know you have the perfect story, hm!" Seiun grunted, and narrowed his eyes in esteem. "Yes...you were always a clumsy little runt..." he grinned, "...but that made for quite a few accidents you can narrate now, hm!"

"Eeeep!! Doesn't anyone else want to volunteer?"

"Um..."

"Uh..."

"Ahahahahaha..."

"But I don't have any stories!! None which I can tell! Some of these things are really embarrassing, and you probably don't want to know about me anyway!" I scooted further and further away, as everyone stared expectantly (I didn't even bother asking Enri for help...now that he had Seiun's kendo stick, he was not a liable option)...I was awesome at ranting, but storytelling? "I'd die!! Suzaku - OW!!"

My head banged against the back of the bed.

For a while, I just froze there, staring into nothing. Several people gasped; Juri, Nuriko, Miaka, plus a few others...even Suzaku had the decency to ask me if I was okay. 

But...eheh...it really didn't even hurt me, and as I sat there, a strange memory seeped into my head, giving me shivers of deja vu...

I grinned widely, as it suddenly occurred to me that if I were to be morally traumatized by a storytelling...at least I'd drag someone else down with me! Oh, yes, it was evil, but...eventually it'll be for his own good!

"Never mind, never mind! You know...this reminds me of something...Enri...do you remember when you first found out about my gender? Now, before you strangle me - I said _before_, Enri!! - you've got to admit...that was a pretty cute moment! Everybody, imagine if you will a crisp, clear sunny autumn day, a perfect day for a dip in the public baths - Enri-chan, you're scaring me; glaring is not going to help the dramatic effect! - and I just happened to be there, alone by myself.

"I'm not sure if Seiun has already told you all, but I was actually posing as a woman, much like the honorable Nuriko-san, but for a different reason, and with none of his glory. Since I was born prematurely, I was always a very weak person; as the oldest son in a large family, I was expected to become successful, but my parents were poor, so it was impossible for me to do more than labor work, which I would probably fail at terribly! So, they naturally went for the next option, and that was to disguise me as a girl, and give me a simpler job as a handmaiden; although they weren't my greatest hours, I passed with no one realizing it. It was really a very meek role I played..."

"Your own parents did that to you?" Chiriko gaped, concerned. 

Nuriko was nearly glowing with pride. "To come out like that with such a charismatic personality is almost impossible! But it seems like both of us managed it!"

"Still, that was some crazy shit they did!" Tasuki glared. "You didn't stand up to them?"

"I knew it was the only way to support the family; if I didn't do it for Mom and Dad, at least I did it for my little brothers and sisters..." I smiled sadly. "I'm not sure what's happened to them now, but I think that they'd be happy for me. It was better that way...some families disown their children, when they're born premature...but my parents even liked me better as a girl, so it was okay. When I posed as a girl, I was really shy and reserved...I obeyed Seiun-sama and Enri willingly when they arrived at the restaurant I was working at in my time of crisis and invited me to join the shrine. I got stronger physically at the Koudoutai shrine, because it was busier in those days, even though I'm still weaker than a normal person...then, one day, I was alone at the public baths.

"I nearly always chose an hour in the morning when no one else was up, and I could be by myself. That way, no one could tell that I was not a woman...I don't know if Seiun-sama already figured out by then, and knowing Seiun-sama, I'd probably never get my answer..." I grinned at the tiny old priest, who grinned back, but gave no answer, then continued, "...but I know for sure that Enri didn't, and I was hoping he never would." I giggled. "So you can imagine my surprise when he entered the baths at the crack of dawn and saw me in the men's section!"

_...narrated flashback..._

_"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEE!!!"_

_"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!!!"_

_There was a frantic scampering to the edge of the room._

_"W-W-What are you doing here, Motohaku-san?!"_

_"That's not the QUESTION!!!"_

_Heavy panting. At the time, I was quite frozen and speechless myself, so I guess I was panting heavily as well...my heart was very fragile, and it couldn't take this kind of strain; for the longest time, I just held onto the edge of the bath, hoping and praying he wouldn't read into this._

_Dumb hope, apparently._

_"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?!"_

_It was not a rhetorical question, but my mind was a bit twisted right at that time. _

_You see, Enri was kinda...sorta...naked._

_And I was kinda...sorta...well, ditto._

_I mean, it's not as though I hadn't seen the poor guy naked before! And it wasn't as though I fancied him, or anything!! But in the event of such a huge accident...one cannot help thinking that his nudity - and mine - made the situation a lot, lot more difficult. No, no amount of extensions can make wording it a possibility._

_Eep...!!_

_"I-I-I...I'm s-sorry...Motohaku-san...I-I - "_

_"F*ck!! I don't believe this!! Suzaku - GAAAAAH!!" Face completely flushed, and glancing around nervously, he was the very picture of denial and anguish. But since it was Enri, his first course of action was obviously endeavoring to hide it. Trying his best to calm down, he did not do so very gracefully, and in short, it didn't really work. _

_"Okay. Okay. Take it easy..." he managed, as I tried to scoot away. "Just wait a second! You...you're...Suzaku, this would explain why you always bathe alone...you're..."_

_"Male...?" I squeaked timidly._

_"Exactly! What - who else knows about this?! Damn...how could this have happened?! Any time in the last few years I could've read your mind and I didn't!! How did this go on?! You, being a g-guy?! Are you okama, or - " He froze for a second. "You know, a crime like this...it could kill you."_

_Time stood still._

_Eyes wide with fear, jaw slack, small droplets of water sliding down my smooth cheekbones, I stared at him in horror. In all my embarrassment, I had nearly forgotten...the repercussions._

_It wasn't just this...to lie to a Koudoutai priest about your gender, to have even moved up the rankings this far as a crossdresser...the most severe crime would be death!! You'd only be spared if you were something important, like a Suzaku Seishi, or something! And those things happen so scarcely you'd hardly think they were more than ridiculous fairy tales!! No commoner was going to live..._

_I didn't even realize this could cause my death. Why was I acting so childish? Why?! _

_How could I have even thought about our nudity when this was the case? I...I'd always gotten by...and never even realized the full extent of the warning...but with all the reassurances I had gotten from my siblings, before I was transferred to the palace, when they had told me that no one could've mistaken me for anything else than a beautiful, elegant woman...I'd always thought that everything was going to be okay..._

_In my heart, I was begging and pleading...but that was not to be the case. I was looking hard at Enri...having spent many years with him and Seiun as of yet, I had always seen him as moral and dignified, albeit a tad clumsy and sometimes biased. I knew his judgment of me. _

_He would scream my crime out into the billowing wind so that even the ear of the emperor could hear...if only for the glory. _

_My eyes were watering up with salty tears._

_He wasn't going to spare me. He liked me well enough when he believed I was a woman, but a man...a filthy, dirty man...a naive little **boy**...who couldn't even dress the way he was supposed to..._

_It was then that I burst._

_"I'm sorry, Enri!! MIZU NO MAHOU RYUU!! TAIKOU!!!!"_

_Unable to think, and numb with fear, I used the jet of pink, soapy water to blast myself to the other side of the baths, as far as my force was willing to take me, as far as I could run...run, run, run..._

_I knew I had to._

_..._

_But...ah...although it seemed like a good, steadfast, serious moment at the time...see...I'd forgotten several major things. Ehehehehe..._

_One: Mizu no Mahou Ryuu, even my pink version, was like a storm, and wouldn't drop you until you told it to stop. Two: the first spoke especially true when you were in water. And last but not least, three: When it's propelling you the other way, you have to watch out for objects, i.e. the wooden border and the jutting rock surround._

_Unfortunately for me, I was never too good at thinking when stressed., and promptly banged my head silly._

_-_

_I found myself groggily gazing into his eyes. _

_This time, however, my terror had subsided, replaced by a drowsy nausea, and a painful throbbing in the back of my head...in my subconscious, there was still a nagging panic, gripping my throat and clinging on...but it wasn't serious, and it drowned in my stupor. _

_"Motohaku-san...w-what happened?"_

_There was no answer. Upon seeing my wake, Enri had turned the other way. The warm morning sunlight streamed into the room, dancing upon the furniture in layer upon layer, and flexing against floating crystals of dust...it played gently in his silver hair, the long silk that I'd admired him for back then. It seemed to sway every which way when he walked, almost like solid strands of wind...and it would fly out as a blind, tousled mass behind him when he was angry. It was beautiful...dangerously beautiful. Perhaps the reason why I chopped off my own long hair that everyone insisted was pretty...now I have shorter hair than most of the men, and it is unusual, but somehow, I felt safer this way...as though I had distanced myself from him._

_Enri was always unusually frightening...and his silence did more to enhance it. I found myself thanking Suzaku that he was turned the other way...those violet eyes, so alien and ethereal, were enough to slash through my exterior, leaving only my weak, naked soul. I didn't want him to see through me, for although he was amiable enough and I'd known him for years, I got the uncomfortable feeling that he wasn't the kind of person you could read easily...even though he could read the rest of us like a book._

_I tried again._

_"Motohaku-san..."_

_"I had liked you..."_

_I gasped. Enri's face, in an invisible instant, had turned to stare straight into me. There wasn't enough time to react. There was barely enough time to breathe._

_Four simple words._

_"I had liked you."_

_He was neither smiling nor frowning...it wasn't rare for him, but this time, it seemed to hold a higher meaning, as though he was considering what he thought of me now. It was completely neutral._

_Yet those words made me think for the longest time..._

_...narrated flashback..._

"...so basically, after that, we started to be on better terms," I grinned, continuing, as twenty-something absorbed faces gazed my way. "Seiun blew a fuse when he found out, of course...but I'm not sure if that was all an act, or whether he really wasn't aware...

"I started to become more confident. Of course, I still obeyed Enri's orders...he was my superior, after all. But it became more and more comfortable talking to him, because I knew I had no reason to fear him anymore; rather, I realized that I had the upper hand back when he thought I was a girl, even though I didn't know it! He wasn't lying when he said he liked me...it was a bit uncivil for a Koudoutai monk, but he seemed to think that I was special, somehow. 

"It was around that same time when Enri started becoming more accident-prone. After a few months of considering it, I came up with the explanation that Enri was a bit afraid of himself...afraid that he still liked me although I was a man, apparently. This caused a sort of role reversal...while he was trying to regain his dignity every minute of every day, I started becoming more elegant and less timid. It was a good experience for us, and we benefited from it, even if we don't like to admit it. 

"So you see, our relationship actually traced back a few years ago. Eventually, we almost forgot about it, our emotions asleep in our subconscious. I think it was only recently that we excavated our older feelings, although Enri claims not to remember them at all..."

Enri snorted.

"...And that's pretty much all it was!" I blushed, relieved that it was all over, and sweatdropping at the applause that followed. "Arigatou gozaimasu, minna! And now, I think I'll go to bed!"

"With me?" 

Facevault. "ENRI!!! It's too early for THAT!!!!"

-

~CLAMPraven~

"Juri?"

The room was pitch dark. Suzaku had turned off the lights a minute ago, and everyone had gone back to their own rooms...although Suzano and Akira insisted on teleporting away and making Seiki chase them for about half an hour before they were satisfied. And even then, they decided to lounge in Seiki's bed, making the Uoza no Mikoto very angry indeed. He had to pluck them off with his tail.

"Juri, wake up!!" I hissed again, trying to get her attention.

Juri and I were in the same hotel room, our beds adjacent to one another. But of course, even though it was so damn late, I knew it was impossible for me to fall asleep in any hotel right away...especially when there was someone else in the room and the f*cking green digital clock is driving you crazy.

In the pale moonbeams, shimmering across the cool atmosphere of the darkened room, I could make out Juri's pallor, her small face a delicate ivory, her eyes translucent slits. As she mumbled incoherently, rubbing her eyes and smoothing back her hair, she glared at me grumpily.

"What?"

"Hey...so you are awake," I grinned, my teeth flashing in the dark. "You're one of those people who either fall right asleep or stay up the whole night, right?"

"Mmn...go to sleep, CLAMPraven..."

"I dunno...I don't think I can go to sleep. We still need to talk," I sat up, stretching lightly and staring out into the distant lights beyond the balcony. "I don't think you realize that this is our last day together."

A pause.

"Oh, CLAMPraven...!" I heard Juri throwing back the covers, muttering about the cold, and sitting up to face me. "Now, just how is it that you manage to bring up the one thing I have been trying NOT to think about all night?"

"I bet it almost worked," I mused. "Suzaku did all this for a reason...and it's not just to piss us off! Shit, Juri...he did this for you!" Mental images of the god of Konan flashed by in my mind, of him all throughout the last few hours. He seemed so cheerful...but he knew. Somehow, even when he's goofing off, those eyes were never shallow enough for me to read the bottom of...tonight was no exception. "He wanted you to think as little of this as possible, so that you wouldn't go off and f*cking cry or something...because he knows you well enough to know that even if you don't cry, you'd be hurting inside. Now that you guys have a commitment, it's no wonder he knows you like the palm of his hand!

"You may never see us again, after this. There's nothing else for you to do in the Universe of the Four Gods...no, wait, that's not right. Okay, let's put it this way. I was also from this world, remember? Now, see, I didn't leave this world because there was nothing for me here...I left because of Suzaku. But the reason why I never returned was because I knew I had a role to play...something more important was waiting for me on the other side of the moon, something I sure as hell couldn't comprehend, but I knew it as though it was implanted into me. Now I know...I was always destined to be with Tasuki! We might not love each other as much as, say, Miaka and Tamahome, but we'll wreak holy mayhem together, and since I asked to join the Mt. Leikaku bandits when I get back, I can't see any reason to remain here!" 

I gazed at her. "I would like to see my parents again, but I don't really miss them. And it's better that I don't know what I'm missing, right? I'd almost forgotten the warmth they showed me...but I'm not ungrateful. I think that if they can't understand what it is I'm trying to accomplish here, then I'd better keep things this way. Ne?"

Juri's eyes softened...a single tear trickled down her cheek. 

She understood. It was like Juri to understand. She simply watched you, and learned from you...you never had to explain a thing. She comprehended in her own way.

But it was hard watching her cry, and I felt a bitter weight in my heart, as though I had wronged her, even though I meant no harm. Suzaku would acknowledge my reasons...it was my duty as her best friend to sever the connection. Everything that we'd gone through will now be put to the test...and I thought...if she truly understood, she'd forgive me. 

Ever since the first time I met her, I knew there was something out of the ordinary about Juri. At first, I relied that on my six sense...and yet every time she was forced to leap into a crisis, her face never changed...she somehow remained the same person. I knew that it was no normal feat...to keep your face in a battle. And yet it was as though every time, she hid a thousand angers behind a single decoy expression...it wasn't normal.

I admired her for it.

Throughout the war, the tribulations we'd faced together...from Nuriko's death to the appearance of Hitori, from the love confession to the final battle...

"One day, you'll forget what this feels like, Juri..." I whispered, looking away. "You'll never forget the times we had, but you'll forget what this warmth feels like, because by then it'll be replaced by everything you could ever want in this world."

There was a long silence. Small, meek sobs were now rising behind me, like shallow tides incoming...and although I feared to see her cry, I forced myself to turn around, climb up on the other bed to reach the same level as her, and wrapped my arms around her. 

"All good things..." I heard her choke, "...nothing ever lasts..."

"Except love."

"...It's so selfish of me, but...w-why is it that humans always want solid things? Things they can touch and see?! Why aren't I...satisfied...that we...all of us...had this night t-together?!"

I closed my eyes, as she continued to weep, stroking her hair gently. "Juri, if you could defy f*cking human nature...then you'd _really _lose everything you'd ever had. And if you think about it, losing everything...it's a part of you heading for something better. Destiny doesn't hurt you unless you will it to; you're simply putting something aside that isn't as important as having a relationship right now. I mean...shit! You and Suzaku are going to grow up together...he's going to form another identity in Toronto as a kid - damn, but I'd love to see that - and you guys are going to get married! Stashing our friendship away and all these other friendships away for the time being is only because you have a huge commitment you have to keep, and no one blames you. Yeah...you hear that? No one blames _you_..."

Sighing, I glanced at the full moon.

"And besides, if we were meant to find each other again, we would. I love you as much as Suzaku does, but only in a slightly different way. If you trust me, you'll meet me again...don't ever regret a thing."

Comforting someone as complex as Juri was never my nature...no...perhaps it was. But I didn't plan in it! She was grieving for a few minutes, but then her crying subsided and she managed to smile...I think either I made a very good shrink or she was just trying to make me feel better. Hell, but I don't like the former idea. 

And damn it, but if Tasuki ever knew I was this sensitive, he might start questioning my f*cking sexuality!

* * *

_Somehow, the morning came swifter than expected...with bitter farewells, Juri awakens for the final departure. As Suzaku unwillingly sends the Hotel L'Ermitage soaring back to Quebec City - no lie! -, Miaka makes her last and greatest wish...to rid the worlds of the Battle of Shin'ai, the powers of Juri, the powers of the Sakura Griffin, the Mirai Tankoubon portal...everything in connection with the act that was so inconsiderately brought forth._

_And so, it was time to go._

* * *

~Jenny~

"...And so I leave it all behind.

"CLAMPraven, my greatest friend, who had kept my spirit alive throughout every hurdle and every fall...who had trotted alongside me with shining eyes...how can I put into words how much I love you? You can't possibly explain it, and neither can I, but you have the stamina of a fiery star...and you encircle all of us with your warmth. Trustworthy, reckless...yes, I do wish to see you again! And do take care of Tasuki, too, even though he can be a handful...

"Byakko, who had aided Suzaku with ever turn of destiny...who had cast his fears aside and hurled himself into the darkness with silver wings, and had discovered himself in the bloodshed. You gained courage, tenacity, fortitude...I daresay, if all you had to show for your godliness before was the power seeping through your veins, you will now have deserved your title. Your goodness will bless all of Sairou!

"Miaka, who had been a caring older sister...albeit sometimes I'm not quite sure that fits! But your cheerfulness is rare, so rare that it isn't hard to see why everyone treasures you...Tamahome, who had comforted Miaka throughout the war, and while I was gone...take care of what destiny had given to you! You don't know how lucky you are, you daredevil! Few deserve to be together more than you!

"Suzaku Shichiseishi...to Hotohori, who had upheld the entire empire while I was away, and guided us wish such passion, I will miss you so much! Though I barely knew you, I regret what I couldn't know...to Nuriko, whose noble sacrifice had taught me so much, and - aw, he's blushing already! - whose death I would always remember as a grand motivation in my battle, I love you always! And here...this morning I had composed a note, and I want you to deliver it to Kutou, to the advisor of the emperor, please...I believe you already know him. Yes, the painted freak! But he's no longer painted, is he? To Tasuki - you'd better take care of CLAMPraven!! The two of you will be so explosive together, I doubt Kouji and the others would be able to handle it once you both become bandits! But I love you for your strength of heart and willpower...now, CLAMPraven told me that you won't have any kids, so when I get back there - and I will get back there - I'd better not see any mini fanged Nyan-Nyans running around the house and burning furniture left and right, you hear?!

"And to Chichiri, who had been a noble and wise older brother to all of us, and had protected Aya valiantly in the Battle of Shin'ai...who wouldn't wish to have your honor and your radiant smile? Your mask is forever just the surface of your depth, and the waters below tastes sweeter than you realize. To Mitsukake, who had suffered so much from the death of his comrades but still realized his own importance, I wish you a bright future, and I wish to see you working as a successful doctor later on. Please, never forget your worth! And last but not least, Chiriko...your previous love for me had inspired me, and your honesty and chivalry was never bound by age; you were wise enough to step aside, and few people ever have the strength to do so in an entire lifetime! I will forever cherish your memories.

"Taikou, who had been so wonderful and caring...and Enri, who had been so cautious and loving...you two seem somehow desolate without the other, which is why I wish I could bless you with an eternity. Or, perhaps you'll have your eternity...it seemed as though, from what you said, the moment you saw each other, it was love at first sight...no, that's not true. It was recovering a long lost treasure. Please take care of Seiun! And, no, I didn't forget about you, you old grouch...but I've seen the fire in your eyes, and I think that regardless of what happens to you, you'll die a scarred veteran with that same old smile upon your face. Even if you three weren't born together and won't die together, you are linked by destiny! Never let go! 

"Irasa, who although could've stayed safely in the palace, vowed to help me and avenge my love for Suzaku just the same...you have showed me the strength of a dormant dragon. Although you cannot hear, you are more attentive than any of us...although there are things in this world you don't understand, I remember you being a lot more timid when we started, and now you're so curious it's hard not to smile with you! Please keep your strength!

"Aya, whose chivalry commanded him to help us and who fought a brilliant battle alongside us...and the same to the wise, contemplative Seiki, and the joyful, fun-loving twins, Akira and Suzano...all of whom respected and loved their fellow Mikotos enough to keep them in their hearts and aid our fellowship. You have given us such vigorous power I never knew could exist in the hearts of the Mikotos, much less in their hands...I own you all a great gratitude, and I wish you will never forget what it felt like...to love.

"Kano, Hitori...the love between you two nearly killed us!!! Hehe, but I digress. In a way, I guess you can say that if your love had never occurred, there wouldn't have been reason enough for any of this...and I mean any of this. Not even the Toronto trip. Honestly, I'm not sure how I could thank you...it seems as though you two have something unbreakable, and if I weren't jealous of you two for it, I would most likely not be human...your love surpassed time and tragedy, and I would die a thousand deaths if you, Hitori, would realize it when one thousand and one comes, that you two belong to each other. Suzaku...! I sound like a love cliché! But I don't regret that we suffered...I now know myself. It was as though you gave me the power to see myself, and love myself...as though your love showered the battlefield, mingled with our blood, as a powerful incentive...I know forever doesn't exist, yet I can foolishly wish as a girl, can't I? And I wish that you will look into the eyes of love...forever, however long it may be...

"This is what I leave. And Suzaku, my dream, my one...

"This is what I've earned. My wings, my world, my eyes shall be purged...and as I look back on the events, the bloodshed and the tears, the misconceptions and the agony...my heart bides goodbye to everything I miss. And yet pain is a part of me, and I shall carry it wherever I go...it'll fit into my pocket, bring me happiness in turn...and knowledge. I hope that perhaps, this legacy that I have built...it would live in the blood of my children, my grandchildren...but for now, we spread our wings, watch for the turning of the crescent, that will guide us back to where we once started...

"For that is our most coveted and treasured place...

"And we shall fly.

"Farewell, everyone! There shall never be a tomorrow unless we say goodbye..."

-

Everyone had disappeared. 

With sorrowful partings and tears of sadness, the wind swept my friends away...in a brilliant flash of red that I knew not as Portal-chan's light, but rather the Shi Jin Ten Chi Sho's - the wish Miaka made must've taken her away as well, as she was the center of the Battle of Shin'ai...everyone was gone. I remember gleaming eyes and tingling hearts, and I remember reminiscence...all fluttering away in wings of red, down the lonely highway of Toronto at this hour. 

I can recall everything. The maple trees swayed in the golden breeze, as the sky painted the earth a faded bronze, as though an old, wartime photograph, glittering but not shining, warm but not burning. Silent movements, flowing breaths...no tears. I told myself...I would cry in the darkness, but not so that my friends would weep in turn. It was the fairest act.

I turned to the figure beside me. 

"Suzaku..."

But it was not the older, more prominent figure whom I had known for the longest time, that greeted my sight now. It was a child...a child, but a few years older than I, with shimmering red hair and bold, golden-red eyes that shone of hidden fire.

Yet I felt as though I recognized him no less. Smiling, the youth took my hand in his...

"Now to be forever known as Suzaku Kagemoto, junior high sophomore, your new best friend and soon-to-be lover," he corrected me softly, his lips brushing against mine like gentle feathers. "Believe in me, Jenny, and you will feel no less beautiful by my side...I will grow with you and age with you, although you will feel my power in the wind and in the stars, and I will guide Konan with an invisible hand.

"Their adventures may be over...but ours are just beginning."

I blinked, raising an eyebrow quizzically. "Beginning...?"

"Oh, come on!" He grinned. "Haven't you considered it? Our children, grandchildren? They'll carry on the legend forever! And from the looks of it, yours isn't over yet, either. Consider this. We've been in Toronto for the last 16 hours or so, which is about a few years back in Konan...yet when our friends return to the Universe of the Four Gods, they will find time as they've left it, and everything shall carry on as though we hadn't just made the biggest mistake of our entire lives! Don't you see?"

It took me a little while, but I finally realized it. The time-space continuum was acting up again...!!

"Somebody's tampered with time..." I murmured, hardly believing his words, and overcome with surprise. "But Taiitsu-kun's the only one who could've...but, no!! How could she be so generous? She's already given us so much!!"

Smiling handsomely, and putting a casual arm around me, Suzaku led me down the sidewalk.

"Taiitsu-kun doesn't just _give_ anybody anything, Jenny! Think about it! The seishi who are just returning, Irasa, Byakko, CLAMPraven, everyone...they have an important role to play in our future, and Taiitsu-kun must've realized it just as we entered Toronto, so she decided...well, better to not screw things up any worse than Suzaku's already done! Let's keep the times together...Toronto and the Universe of the Four Gods are now on the same time schedule!

"Don't worry about everyone else...we'll meet up with them in the future. Otherwise, Taiitsu-kun would've just left them in Konan's new millennium! Looks like you and I will have more adventuring to do! In the future, we'll meet up with them all again, so won't you be relieved? On the other hand, we don't necessarily know what we're in for the next time, so..."

"...How do you see all this?"

"Aw, please, I'm a _god_..."

All around us, the city was starting to wake up...the songbirds were preening, and cars quaintly drove past us in the frigid morning air that I just realized was starting to pinch my nose. It somehow seemed the perfect ending for a home-town movie...but it wasn't that, was it?

It was, as he had said, just the beginning.

* * *

**NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! DON'T LEEEEAAAAVVVEEEE!!! **

**When Suzaku says it's just the beginning, he means it!! One more update, and I swear you won't ever need or want to come back to this fic again!! 2 MORE CHAPTERS - I'LL UPLOAD BOTH AT THE SAME TIME! Give it about two weeks to a month...patience, patience!!**

What? No character bios!! Bah, humbug...

NO, WAIT!! I HAVE TO EXPLAIN THE THEORY AT THE END!!

Okay, to put it simply. Taiitsu-kun, who has always been a lot smarter than moi, had seen that Suzaku took everyone to Toronto. Follow? Yes. Well, that's all peachy keen, fine and dandy, but then she realized...shit! When everybody returns to Konan in the morning, time in Konan would've already passed for a few years - since real world time and Konan time are very, very different things - and everyone would be arriving back in a hopeless confusion! Hotohori still had to serve his term as emperor, and the monks still needed to tend to their shrine, not to mention the Mikotos needed to control _fate_...if they came back, and a few years had already gone by, what would they do? What would've happened to Konan without them all?

So, therefore, Taiitsu-kun, grumpy as she was, changed the time-space continuum for the last damn time in this story, so that the times would be aligned...**real world time and Konan time would be the same!! However, since Miaka comes from the anime world, and Juri comes from the real world, their times are different, so Miaka's time would always be different from both real world time and Konan time!! (deep breaths) Gaaaah...but I digress.**

So now, everybody who isn't Juri and Suzaku go back to Konan...lalala...and find things the way they'd always been. But why is Taiitsu-kun being so nice? Why not just let them get stuck in a time warp in Konan's future?

This is where Suzaku's theory fits in!! **He figured that Taiitsu-kun did this specifically to keep their friends on the same time and track as they...but for many other reasons than the simple ones! Although Portal-chan officially no longer exists, he figured...well, at this rate, our friends would age with us! When we get old, they'd get old. When we'd have kids, they'd probably have kids...well, some of them, at any rate...et cetera. But why would Taiitsu-kun do this? Perhaps it wasn't just so Hotohori could continue his reign as emperor in the right time period...**

**...Maybe it was because she wanted them to be alive and healthy, to greet and aid Juri THE NEXT TIME SHE CAME TO KONAN?!**

Yep, that's pretty much the theory. (sweatdrops) Sorry for the confusion!! But it's like Suzaku to get these little quirks every once in a while.

Ahh, yeeeeesssss...and didn't I promise you a Sailormoon tutorial?

* * *

_Storyline:_

Sailormoon itself is pretty easy to understand. In Crystal Tokyo, in the future, the Moon Kingdom had been destroyed by dark forces...Queen Serenity (some people spell it Selenity, but I prefer Serenity because I've gotten damn used to it after watching the dub now...^-^;;), having survived, was terrified that her daughter, Princess Serenity, and her lover, Endymion, had died in the battle. As well, all of the sailor senshi (not seishi! Terribly confusing business...) had also died. She used the last of her powers to send them all to the past...(now remember, this part is the future!! That part is the past!! Time warp confusion time!!)...but without any of their memories of being princesses in the future kingdom, and only two advisors - cats, naturally - Luna and Artemis to guide them. Their jobs in the past were to change the course of the future!! Bad, bad time-space continuum!! (sweatdrops)

Thus, Princess Serenity awakes as Tsukino Usagi, and if you don't know that Usagi transforms into Sailormoon and collects the other seishi to battle out the Dark Kingdom and the Dark Moon all throughout Sailormoon and Sailormoon R...then I can't help you!! No, wait, I just did. ^-^;;; Ehehehe...

Sailormoon S continues after this series of events, in which the group of antagonist Deathbusters appear, guided under one insane evil professor, Dr. Tomoe, his well-endowed assistant Kaorinite (now, I just KNOW I spelled that wrong...), and the bureau of the Witches 5, which includes Eudial (sounds familiar? She was the one who appeared in the parody!), Mimete (also in the parody, but less important at the time...), Tellu, Viluy, Cyprin and Pterol (Gaaaaaah!!! The horribly obscure spelling, the SPELLING!!), each with special skills and abilities - damn, like you didn't see that one coming! In the anime, these fiends retrieve heart crystals, which are these little funny-looking shiny thingamajigs that pop out of the injured person - once the heart crystal has been separated from its owner for a long enough amount of time, the owner shall die!! (pause) What else is there again? Oh, and they're looking for special heart crystals in particular...pure ones, apparently, that would turn into talismans upon retrieval, and when the three talismans are united, they would form a chalice, strong enough for world domination!! (longer pause) Er...

Ah, yes...the infamous trio now gets their introduction! Sailorneptune and Sailoruraunus, in addition, are also searching for the talismans, and would usually pop up looking dashingly cool after a heart crystal appears, and have just enough time to examine it, decide it isn't the right one, and cast it aside. ^-^;; Hm...as you know from the parody, Sailorneptune (also Kaioh Michiru...yes, I spell it Kai_oh_, and I don't give a damn!!) and Sailoruranus (also Ten'oh Haruka) are very very much in love, except that the most action they ever get in the anime is a hand-cradling scene, an adorable scene that ended up getting mutilated by Chichiri and Yui. ^-^;; Obviously, since they're sailor senshi, Sailormoon wants badly to make friends, but usually ends up getting the hand, and eventually our scene happens...

The parody is of the fated episode when Sailorneptune and Sailoruranus learn that two of the talismans were, in fact, within themselves; Eudial had found this out, and eventually got them to come to Marine Cathedral; before they came, however, Uranus tore out Sailormoon's transformation brooch, draining her of her senshi powers, and both warned her not to interfere. Moon then meets up with Meiou Setsuna...afterwards, as you know, there was the final scene, in which Neptune is bound to a board, and Uranus is about to get her heart crystal shot out by Eudial. She runs across the bridge, which was programmed to shoot anyone who crossed it multiple times...thus, poor Neptune-chan ended up getting shot several times until the bullets ran out. Then, of course, Eudial shoots her, and that's the end of that. Eheh...(sweatdrops)

The scenes you didn't get to see was when Moon entered, and knocked Eudial away. Although she pleaded with Uranus not to kill herself for the talisman within her, Uranus punched her aside (no lie; this is one powerful girl) and told her to find the third talisman alone, promptly shooting herself with Eudial's gun. In the continuing episode, there is a final showdown, in which Meiou Setsuna appears again, but this time in the form of Sailorpluto, and possessing the third talisman - her own. The chalice is formed, and Moon grabs it while the other senshi - literally - ended up getting stepped on, except for Tux Kamen and Chibimoon, who stood there looking undauntedly cool. (nods) Eudial makes her getaway, but then the brake on her car fails and she realizes that acid snails were planted in her car...by Mimete. She ends up driving off a cliff, and Mimete, who is completely boy crazy with a pathetically short attention span, ends up getting her job. 

Uranus and Neptune were revived, and the senshi are united...sorta kinda? The end of the episode cuts off to Tomoe Hotaru, the daughter of the leader of the Deathbusters, to be Chibi-Usa's friend as well as both Mistress 9 and Sailorsaturn, god of destruction. But that's another story altogether!

* * *

TTFN, ta ta for now! (yes, I realize I'm ripping it off the McDonald's commercial...) Although I have never seen the Lord of the Rings (Gah!! Hold your mallet, woman!!) and have never read the book (read the Hobbit, tried to find the sequel, eventually gave up...eheh), I am suddenly madly addicted!! Why?!

The interest comes in the form of graceful legs, long hair, and pointy ears. (sweatdrops) Why didn't I discover Legolas earlier?!? (sniffs) Aaaaargh...COMPOSURE...(blushes furiously)

-CLAMPraven 


	48. And Now, to Screw up the Whole Damned Pr...

**"Juri"**

**-from girl to oracle-**

**By CLAMPraven**

**SPECIAL COLLECTION**

* * *

~ And Now, to Screw up the Whole Damned Production! ~

Part 5 of the Legend of Juri Special - Descendents

* * *

_Juri: Ne...CLAMPraven..._

(In the corner, CLAMPraven is drawing diagrams and tactics of how to get to the video store and rent LOTR without her parents noticing, every once in a while muttering to herself and taking a break with her mom upstairs to watch the horrible taped renditions of the Romance of the Three Countries. Juri sweatdrops.)

_Juri:...............................................(holds up disclaimers for ROTTC and LOTR)........................_

_Ame: (tugs on Juri's jeans) Is she like this all the time?_

_Juri: Usually, worse...(blinks) (glares down at the tiny figure) NEEEEEEEE...what the hell are you doing here?! You don't appear until the story!! You're ruining the drama!!_

_Mercy: (appears out of nowhere also, to join her little sister) (narrows eyes) Is this like one of those Bugs Bunny reruns where they never catch the person they want? (shakes head worriedly as CLAMPraven drew a diagram of Watase-sama's bulldozer smashing an escape route through her house, frowned, erased it, and replaced the bulldozer with Byakko's winnebago) How did we manage to get created by the mentally unstable Goth?_

_Juri: She's not Goth, damn it!! She doesn't have the funky hair or the makeup; for all we care, you're more Goth than she is! (narrows eyes) Where are your brothers?_

_Nagi: (appears) (glances around fearfully) Is this where she works? (shivers)_

_Mercy: (picks him up with a grunt) Careful not to touch the furniture, Nagi-chan...everything's a booby trap, even the innocent-looking ramen...Big Brother made it for her the moment she created him, and she let it sit there for days..._

_Juri: Aaaargh...I guess I own you an explanation. Minna, these haphazardly-looking children are Juri and Suzaku's children, starring in this final segment to end this story!! (hopefully? Eheh...) **As you've undoubtedly guessed, the current chapter, Descendents, takes place in the future days of Suzaku and Juri, after marriage and...well...we don't want to run any plot twists, now, do we? But you're probably going to hit CLAMPraven for it afterwards, I'll tell you that! **(pouts) All else aside...I thought I'd get my own introduction...!!_

_Mercy: (tsks) Feh. Don't be selfish, woman. _

_Conan: (appears) So this is where you all went! (blinks) (stares) Is that the ramen I made CLAMPraven? And she's just letting it sit? (whimpers) CLAMPraven's not the type of person who would let perfectly good ramen just sit there..._

_Juri: (winces as Conan's eyes start to water) Well....aaaargh...she's going to eat it EVENTUALLY!!! (thinks) Why the hell did CLAMPraven have to create all these wimpy guys?! What is her motive, goddamn it?! _

(At this point, CLAMPraven had given up on her hopeless diagrams, and plopped herself down on the nearest sofa. Noticing the ramen, she immediately whisked it up and downed it in one gulp, which stopped Conan's crying immediately.)

(licks lips) (clears throat importantly) Ah, Juri!! (grins) Introduce the kiddies, did you? That's good...saved me a lot of trouble! Damn...I'll download LOTR somewhere, since the library doesn't have it either...(menacingly)...I'll find canonical resources on Legolas, mark my words, if it's the last thing I do!! (beams) But meanwhile, I'll have to settle for Legolas/Aragorn fanfiction!!! (turns on computer, while humming to herself happily)

_Juri: (vein pop)......................._

-CLAMPraven 

* * *

~Taiitsu-kun~

"It's been 26 years..."

"Why did you re-awaken me...?"

Averting my gaze from the window, I turned to the Mirai Tankoubon...Portal-chan, the very same Portal-chan who, by the will of the Battle of Shin'ai and Akiyama Hitori, guided Juri to the Universe of the Four Gods. Revived from the plane of inexistence, she and the book shone with an unnatural glow, awaiting instructions.

"Portal-chan...when Miaka wished upon Suzaku for the Battle of Shin'ai to be no more, that fateful day of parting in Toronto...you disappeared along with the powers of the reincarnated Oracle Juri and Sakura Griffin."

"I am painfully aware...which brings me to my question. Why have you revived me? Now that there is no longer a Battle of Shin'ai, there is no longer a purpose for me..."

The tiny guardian of the book's eyes widened in realization. 

"Unless you want me to...?"

"Yes..."

I returned my gaze to the window. Perched atop Mt. Taikyoku, one could see clouds for miles and miles...and yet the rays of the sun did not intervene. It was a truly spiritual place...where no one could see what was beyond, what path awaited them, that romantic destiny...

"You, Portal-chan, are the only one capable of bringing individuals from the real world into this world...even the gods have no access to such an ability, which is why I summon you now. I require your power now more than ever, it should seem...as it is time for the children of Suzaku and Juri to step into the world their mother had once ventured into alone, to fulfill their destinies. Suzaku's children shall act as priests, oracles and priestesses of high order for their father, who shall communicate to them from heaven. Even though they themselves don't know that their father is a god and their mother a supreme oracle, they as demigods would eventually spawn more of their kind, and raise the belief in Konan closer to heaven itself. Suzaku had done an incredible job keeping the truth from them for this long - especially since his children have powers of their own they are not even aware of! - but now it is time for them to face their roles. Yet..."

I shuddered. It was as though the cold hands of Seiryuu had closed themselves around my heart, leaving freezing agony in trails of bony imprints. 

Juri... 

How I had hopes for that girl...! One who could win over the heart of a god was unheard of! I had not allowed the gods love, for I thought that they would mistake this privilege for the indulgence of mindless lust amongst humans...it had not crossed my mind that any of their foolishness could tread into real, true love...the kind that few humans could provide them with, in any case. But Juri proved me wrong...oh, how she proved me wrong...

And yet...fate could be so beautiful in the ways that it weaves and snakes, but this...

This...

"Although now, their mother shall not be treading alongside them." 

I turned sorrowfully to Portal-chan, who wore a confused expression, not understanding but not daring to believe, either. "I realize you knew each other during the days of her struggles, which is why I am terribly pained to inform you of her passing away..."

* * *

_It was true._

_After the parting of their ways, Jenny continued life in Toronto as herself again, but somehow wiser and stronger...a few months after her return to the real world, Suzaku - now Suzaku Kagemoto - introduced himself to her parents...but because Jenny had warned him not to use his powers to charm them falsely, he didn't win the suspicious mother and father over as well as he could've. But after he continued associating with Jenny (he even moved when her family moved to Richmond Hill), he ended up appealing to them anyway._

_The wedding bells soon rang, and the luxury cruise ships to the Bahamas roared in turn ('Suzaku!! Stop pulling money out of thin air!! I'm pregnant, you know that, and I don't...like...salt...water!!' ...promptly followed by retching...); soon, the couple had 4 kids (sometimes, Jenny would look back, and wonder aloud why she let Suzaku impregnate her four times...which usually evoked giggles from the kids and made the chicken god choke on his drink), and they grew up, a happy, wholesome family._

_The four children were all very pretty, and extremely gifted, as demigods ought to be. They were Conan, the oldest and gentlest; Mercy, the second oldest and wisest; Nagi, the second youngest and fastest; and Ame, the youngest and most beautiful. _

_But after Ame was born, Suzaku started becoming concerned when he looked at Jenny, more and more so as the days passed. The children didn't know why, and Jenny was uncertain as well, but Suzaku knew, for he had consulted with Taiitsu-kun, and learned fate's plan for his beloved._

_It was only two years later that Jenny died, killed in a car crash on Highway 401; her shattered body laid inside the cage of the once shimmering red Lexus, while bouquets of fire exploded around her, dark smoke billowing out into the wind._

_No one lived forever. Even the beloved could not escape such grief. _

_Suzaku understood, and he hated himself for understanding, for it prevented him from shedding a single tear at the raining funeral, though his children wept bitterly, staining their pretty faces, and his heart ripped in two inside him...fate knew no mercy._

_It had been 8 years..._

_The time has finally come for Suzaku to tell the truth._

* * *

~Ame (first time writing in the eyes of a 10-year-old...damn it, but if this is no good...)~

"_...looking down at her very wisely indeed. She had never seen a crow so close before, and he made her a little nervous, but the next moment he spread his wings and flapped away across the garden..._"

I sighed, looking up from my worn out copy of 'The Secret Garden', to see the endless showers of rain outside the window. Hugging my coat around me, I walked out to the front doors, to see if he was there...

I was positive it was cold out there, and Conan didn't often drive, especially in the rain...but he had promised to pick me up today! The school was almost empty now, except for a few teachers, and it was nearly 4:10...the nice janitor lady, Mrs. Jacobs, had let me stay inside the school while she finished up cleaning the staff room. Even she was out of sight now, although I can still hear a quiet humming downstairs...

The rain usually made me feel warm inside, because there was a barrier that kept it out...but now it felt cold and empty. There was nobody here, so even when I read my book, one of my most favorite books in the entire library, and a part of my head is filled with Mary, Dickon, the sweet air of the wide open moor and the smell of the roses...

...I felt scared. Even outside, it was less alone.

Reaching out to open the door, I breathed a heavy sigh, when I caught sight of a familiar blue Ferrari in the front of the school. Well, it was pretty easy to recognize; we weren't exactly what you'd call rich, and Dad often stayed at home, suspiciously looking like he didn't actually have that job in Solect he said he had...but he seemed to pull bundles of money out of nowhere, especially around the holidays. 

"Conan!! You came!" I clambered into the front seat and hugged the smiling driver. I couldn't help it if my voice sounded relieved...big brothers in any other family might've been stupid or mean, but Conan was the best big brother in the whole wide world! "I was afraid you wouldn't come!"

He kissed me on the cheek, and hugged me right back, a gleam in his eyes. His hair was slightly damp from the rain when he left the house, and his cheeks were flushed, but the more I looked at him, the more I decided that my big brother was both the nicest and the prettiest. Handsome didn't seem to do it for me; he was definitely more _pretty_. 

I smiled toothily.

Maybe even _beautiful_...!

"Of course I came for you! Sorry I'm late, Ame..." He glanced hastily at his watch, mumbled apologetically and backed the car slowly away from the empty school. Already, I felt warmer. "Something kept me. I hope you're alright..."

"I'm fine. I know it's scary for you to drive..."

"It's alright. What wouldn't I do for my little baby sister?" 

"I'm not a baby!" I pouted teasingly, but I knew he meant well. I guess he would always see me as a little baby, and he'd always try and take care of me. 

Especially after Mom died...

I was the youngest, so I didn't remember very well...I was only two years old when she died, and now that it had been ten years, her image had all but faded away from my mind. Sometimes, I thought I felt a familiar touch, or a smile that I thought I could place on another person. Dad didn't let me look at Mom's photographs anymore, and I couldn't recall her face, but sometimes, when I looked at Mercy, my gorgeous big sister who towered above me in garbs of black and purple, I went to thinking that her red eyes and her messy black hair were like the eyes and hair of a person who was no longer there, a kind, gentle person I barely knew...Dad always said that Mercy looked the most like Mom, and that I looked like both him and her, with my huge red eyes, my scrawny arms and my static red ringlets...

Both Conan and Mercy were older when Mom died, so they understood. Nagi was only a couple of years older than me, and he didn't do well with remembering, either. But we both knew for sure that on that night, Conan was taking care of both of us, trying helplessly to keep us asleep, while tears ran down his face. When Mercy came back from the hospital with Dad, she shut herself up for days, barely coming out for meals...

Now, it had become a part of us. Nagi was always really timid and shy, but I think he was more timid and shy after it happened, even though we barely realized what it was that passed us. And the older kids...Mercy was kind enough to our family, but she was also dark and scary, with her chopped hair and her black fingernails, and I sometimes thought of how much nicer she was to us before the accident. She was not always at home nowadays, and she drank and smoked and her breath smelled of something unfriendly whenever she came near me...

Conan stayed kind, but there was a part of him that fears everything around him. He was afraid to drive, always so afraid to drive, because of what happened...as if he was going to burst up in flames any second, which was why I thought he wouldn't drive to the school, even just to pick me up. And some mean kids around me don't like him...they'd swear whenever I talked about him, and the smarter kids even told me that the incident had a 'psychological effect' on Conan. That, because of it, he started becoming different, started liking boys instead of girls...

I blinked. It reminded me of something.

"Conan...you told us at dinner yesterday that you were going to try to speak to Brian again. You said it was going to be today, for sure! Was that what delayed you?" I frowned. "Or...did he hurt you...?"

"You're such a smart girl, Ame..." he shook his head, as the Ferrari skimmed the lane, on its way back home, a sad smile on his face. "Yes...I tried to talk to him again. And you know that it always hurts me just a little when I see him. But it wasn't because of that. It was more like...what happened. We'd only broke up for about a month or two, and while we were together, he knew everything about me, all my dreams and all my weaknesses...but he already forgot what happened...what happened when I got angry." 

He tried to concentrate on the highway, through the rain, but tears were already in his eyes, and his voice became crackly. "Sorry...I'll tell you about it later. I have to concentrate on the drive now...I haven't done this in a while..."

You haven't cried in a while, either, I thought, but I let it go.

"You don't have to tell me."

Brian was Conan's boyfriend, and he loved him for the longest time...but then, a little after Brian joined the swim team, he met a girl...Maria. I think he still liked girls, because he started following her around, and according to Conan, she seemed to have him wrapped around his little finger. Soon, he started getting more and more frustrated with Conan, because he was so private and never allowed Brian to touch him...and he no longer loved my brother anymore. He would rather have a girl's body than a boy's heart.

But my brother still loved him. Brian went to a different college, and every day, Conan would walk 10 blocks to their swim practice, just to see him swimming next to Maria. I didn't understand it at all, but I guessed it was just Conan's way of doing things...he couldn't let go, just like that. And yesterday, he told us all that he would talk to Brian again.

But he must've gotten angry. And it must've happened.

It must've happened again.

Whenever Conan got angry, the strangest thing happened. It was almost like he was one of the water nymphs that I've read about in Greek myths...it was no coincidence. He could control water.

When he was angry, water always started behaving strangely around him. Water from the fountains would spray in all directions, and water from the hoses would strike everyone. I've even made him mad before, and I didn't mean to, but when it happened when I was 4, his science project smashed on the floor for no reason and the chemical water he used jumped up to my eyes; I couldn't see anything for days.

It must've happened again. And it must've happened really badly this time. Brian was near a big swimming pool...from the look on Conan's sad face, I could see that it must've done something terrible, like tear him up or pull him under. Maria might've gotten hurt as well, and Conan never even held anything against her.

Conan always said, to me and to Dad, that someone else was controlling him...

"...I can feel something...someone," I could remember him saying, when I was blinded so many years ago. "It's not me...but someone is helping me hurt people. I can feel him...his presence...I can feel his presence in me when the water hurts people I'm angry at...oh, I'm sorry, Ame! I'm so sorry!!"

Maybe it wasn't him, I found myself thinking, as we sped into another lane. Maybe...

Just maybe...

-

~Nagi (just a couple of years older than the previous, but it makes a big difference since he studied a lot, just like Jenny had in her days...)~

"DAD!!" I heard Mercy yelling from the hall, as she stamped her feet impatiently in front of the bathroom door. "What the hell are you doing in there?! Other people have to use it too, you know!!! And there is such a thing as a _computer room _in this damned house!!"

I glanced fearfully down the hall from the kitchen. Mercy was frightening when she was angry.

From the bathroom, I could hear the swift punching of keys. Dad must've been typing in the bathroom again, I concluded in my mind, and turned to my math homework again. As the harsh screams subsided, with my big sister grumbling and running at light speed to the bathroom that Ame usually used (the only other one was broken; I was trying to flush a spider down the toilet, and when the water didn't come up fast enough - and I'm sure this happens to you as well - I think I sort of broke the knob off...eheh...), I could hear sounds indicating that Dad was exiting the bathroom, and that he had never been there for any other reason except privacy in the first place.

I sighed heavily. While he was a great person, sometimes I got to wondering whether he did everything in his power to make other people irritable on purpose...

The stove shut off behind me, and Conan lowered the oven's temperature, before giving me the daily quote: "Sorry, Nagi, but you're going to have to clear your stuff off the table now. We're having dinner in 10 minutes. Need help?"

"With about 10 tons of books?" I stared wearily at the piles of algebra and geometry books on my desk, as well as the pile of theorems I'd written down in the last half an hour, most of which cascaded off the edges of the table. "Sure. Why not?" I started clearing the notes off immediately. "You know the drill..."

Why did skinny little geeks have to be so hardworking? What did God see in making the weakest and meekest of all human beings struggle so hard as to read this many novels and tutorials on a daily basis, then having to lug them up two flights of stairs, so that they could hand in about twice the amount of work as necessary and become blind?! 

Psht. And they say nature's planned out so well...

Conan chuckled at my comment, put down the roast carefully on the small surface I'd cleaned, and hugged me gently. His shirt smelled of cooking herbs and kosher, which was just as well, since you couldn't be a real chef unless you smelled like one. "Don't worry about it. You have Dad's genes...eventually, you'll grow up stronger than the rest of us."

"Thanks. Funny how you don't bother me at this proximity, even though everyone knows you have been known to like guys more than the rest of us..." I mumbled into his sleeve. "Get on with it. The roast is getting cold. And furthermore..." I narrowed my eyes and stared off contemplatively, "I wouldn't be surprised if I didn't have any of Dad's genes, I look so different from the rest of you. White hair, tiger eyes...where _did _I get my mould?"

"Mm, roast..." Mercy grinned as she returned to the kitchen, rubbing her hands together in glee. "Still not finished the damn work? Come on; I'll help you get a move on with those books. And if you call me a gothic pig again, I'll slap you."

Ame poked her head in through the other doorway. "Who's a gothic pig?"

Mercy raised a slim eyebrow. "Dinner. Why?"

The little girl's eyes widened. "Gothic pig for dinner?"

"Always the cynic, aren't you?" I tossed a few geometry books her way, and she caught the weak throws instantly. Oh, how jealous I was of the legendary Samson. If only I had as much strength as I had hair! "Come on - and don't chuck them in the waste bin!"

"Garbage can?" Mercy suggested, shaking her head with a wry grin as she sauntered out. "Honestly..._waste bin_..."

"You guys are always going at it! When you grow up, Nagi, you'll have a sharper tongue than she, believe you me," Conan grinned cheerfully. Nothing like a good friendly family feud to cheer our big brother up...Ame told me about what happened earlier in the day with Brian, so I would know. But really, nothing relaxed us more than when brother smiled. It was indeed a sign of good will on earth, amidst terrorists and the occasional sniper. "Still need help? Give me a second, the potatoes still need salt..."

Ame blinked up at me. "Was Mercy serious about the gothic pig thing?"

I sweatdropped. "Er..."

From the patio, artificial lights flickered on and off in the Greater Toronto area, staining our house in shades of midnight blue and silver. Crickets had begun their nightly shifts of irritating the average Canadian university student, as well as lawyers and brokers; the neighbor's cat trotted around in our backyard, sniffing at the air and recognizing the tantalizing scent of dinner immediately. He came around here often, with his kittenish trot and his bright eyes; sometimes, when he came near enough for us to touch while we were playing outside, I felt I could associate with him...almost on a primal level. It was scary.

By this time, Dad was already standing in the doorway, sniffing the fragrant air for sustenance. He, Mercy, and Conan switched roles in cooking every day, and while he preferred to order dinner while Mercy preferred to poison us, Conan's cooking was the best in the family, and better than most of the stuff you see on Iron Chef. 

"Mm...that does smell good. Pity we have other plans tonight..."

Mercy had already rushed downstairs. She raised one pierced eyebrow incredulously.

"Other plans? But you never miss Conan's cooking!" 

Dad's golden-red eyes gleamed slyly. We always knew this gesture by nature, because Dad tended to be very spontaneous and made an idiot of himself more than often enough; but tonight, it seemed to hold some ethereal significance, as I realized he was not grinning, nor frowning...

"So, what did you have in mind?" Conan asked, as he immediately started packing away the food. 

At a steady pace, Dad walked over to the table, where my books were still laden in high towers, reaching out a pale hand; the expressionless face told nothing, said nothing, and yet the eyes gleamed...

"Dad?" Ame stared.

It was then that I found myself wondering where that book came from.

The book that Dad was fingering, with its hardcover in a scarlet hue, and bound in an old coil, wasn't one of my textbooks, but I recognized the foreign language it was in. Since Mom was partly Mandarin, and Dad was Japanese, all of us could recognize either of these languages immediately, and the writing on the book was a form of traditional Chinese. 

It seemed to glow underneath the kitchen light, all on its own, and not a reflective light at all. None of us knew what it said, but Dad seemed to know. All too well...

Mercy glanced at me, intrigued. "Studying Mom's language, are you?"

"That book's not mine," I whispered, shaking my head in disbelief. "I don't know where it came from. I - "

"The Shi Jin Ten Chi Sho..."

All of us turned in shock to stare at Conan, who had by this time edged closer to Dad, his face slightly pale. He stood beside him, and the similarities between the two of them radiated in our eyes, as our older brother touched the calloused surface of the book as well.

"Mercy..." he murmured quietly, "...do you remember those tapes we watched? A few years after Mom had died, while everyone else was out of the house, we went into Dad's drawers and found the boxed set of an anime..._Fushigi Yuugi_..."

-

~Suzaku~

_And now they start to remember, _I mused, as I glanced at Conan, then Mercy. _They remember now...even though this is not the Shi Jin Ten Chi Sho. _

"I remember," Mercy's eyebrows creased, as her dark mascara-stained eyes focused on the book, seeing it vicariously through Conan. Her gothic features stirred, signifying an underlying storm. "I remember..." 

Underneath the lamp light, she looked suddenly innocent, and beautiful...almost exactly like her mother. "It was a rainy day, and we were so bored we didn't know what to do...of course, Dad found out later...but we watched Fushigi Yuugi for the first time."

She turned away bashfully, as though ashamed she was caught watching something so childish, and giggled. "I remember my reaction when I first saw Nuriko...Conan's face practically split wide open, and I was laughing at his interaction with Miaka...we had no idea that you would watch anything like that, Dad! We...we'd always thought of you as one of those strict, patriotic types, but after seeing FY, Conan realized that issues like a person's sexuality didn't actually bother you, and I think that if we hadn't known this, he might've never told you about Brian...about anything like that. Eventually, we found the manga, too...it looked as though you were a big fan of the story. And why shouldn't you be? There was a Suzaku in the story, too...the phoenix god Suzaku, no less!"

Conan nodded slightly.

"And this book...it looks so much like the Shi Jin Ten Chi Sho..." he sighed. "It was the first thing that I could think of. But obviously, that can't be the one...Dad?"

By this time, I had started laughing.

Nagi's eyes bulged out, the way Byakko's would whenever he thought I was crazy. Even Ame backed off slightly.

"Dad...what is it?"

I smiled broadly. "What if I told you that this book was related to the Shi Jin Ten Chi Sho?"

"................"

There was a long silence, only punctuated by the sound of the chirping crickets. My grin became wider, as I looked from one stunned face to another. Finally...

"You're not serious..."

"What the f*ck?!"

"Dad, are you feeling okay?"

"Maybe you should sit down..."

"Yeah, that's kind of what I figured you'd say..." I whispered, my gaze softening as I turned to the first page. Personally, I wouldn't have minded if they didn't believe. It was sad...but I had to prove it to them. It was my duty...and their destiny. "But look..."

Every one of them blinked, did a double take, and screamed.

For there, on the front page, was an image of myself, the same image that greeted Jenny when she first came, the same image that came to life and glowed, and pulled her into my world...the Universe of the Four Gods...

The effect was immediate, for as soon as the book was opened, a warm light engulfed all of us, and the screeches of terror around me died away in the glow of fiery red wings...

-

~Conan~

"Where am I...?"

I raised my head to the wind, and I felt the sweet caress of rain...

No.

It was not rain. It was warmer...almost human.

Gasping, I dared to open my eyes further, and winced at the rays of sunlight that penetrated my senses. It occurred to me that there was a face looming above mine, embraced in shadow. A hand, as gentle and soothing as a free-flowing river, smoothed out my hair, and a strong arm held my back to the sun...coughing up a taste as bitter as blood, I reached out weakly with one hand, longing to see the face more clearly...

But whoever this was, the person wasn't going to harm me, and I allowed myself to relax, although my heart pounded against my rib cage, and struggled to grip what logic I had left in me.

I knew I had been pulled down a funnel, through the book and into another place, I thought painfully, as the hand caressed me some more. I could feel the person's cool breath on my cheek. Where I was happened to be a complete mystery...

^_You are in the Universe of the Four Gods...^_

I froze. The stranger was speaking...or was he speaking?

He was speaking..._through me..._!!

"Who...are you...? What do you mean, the Universe of the Four Gods?"

There was a short pause, as though the stranger was surprised.

When at last he did answer, my suspicions were confirmed, and his voice was incredulous. _^You mean to say...that he never told you? Suzaku!! That idiot...!^_

The hand on my back propped me onto a sitting position. _^But you are his son. I can tell...you look so much like him, graceful and ethereal. And yet there is something foreign about your aura, something as dark as the night itself, that clashes with your innocence...a hidden fire. You are truly Suzaku and Juri's child...^_

Juri.

That name...I recalled Dad calling Mom that when he was alive, especially to tease her, and moreover, especially when they were talking about the past. The past that they, strangely enough, never let us know about completely. And Dad's name was definitely Suzaku...

"You know my mother and father? Who are you...sir?" I added, so as not to offend this strange and mysterious person. After all, I don't know whether he was telling the truth. The Universe of the Four Gods was an anime! A story! But Dad...he...

He even said...

_"What if I told you that this book was related to the Shi Jin Ten Chi Sho?"_

Even if it was impossible...perhaps...if a book could transport you magically, what else wouldn't you believe? Maybe...maybe...! 

I gasped, willed myself to open my eyes, to find out...and faced a sunlit garden. Around me...

"This is a palace...!" I gasped, suddenly finding the strength to stand up in my awe. 

All around me were pillars, columns, stairs and gates...the chatter of women and men, servant girls rushing around busily through my view of the windows. I was standing in a royal garden, and now that I had time to examine it, flowers - roses in particular - stood out amongst the green foliage, vines intertwined together, and they glistened with morning dew underneath the sun. There wasn't a single cloud in the sky, and my head spun with the magnificence of it all...thank goodness no one was outside at the time, lest they would think I was a madman!

It was incredible, as though I was but a tourist in another time, as the bustle of activity inside the palace with golden roofs didn't involve me at all. Surprisingly, though...I seemed to understand the chatter of the maids - and concubines, were they? - from indoors...! 

_^The program that Suzaku had made that allowed these people to communicate with your mother years ago has been passed on to her blood relations. In actuality, they are speaking Japanese...but you are a descendent of Juri. Therefore, you can hear them, and so can your siblings.^_

I blinked. In all my excitement, I had nearly forgotten the stranger!

Having spun around, I was shocked speechless to find an androgynous man wearing sapphire-plaited war armor. His eyes, blue and curtly defined with long lashes, revealed eternal age. He towered slightly above me, and clearly appeared stronger than I. His fingers and hands - and were they clawed?! - were rather large, and appeared crude, as though more used to the workings and touch of metal and stone than of human flesh. His eyes, so frightening, so alluring, pierced into the dead center of my body. 

I could barely believe how beautiful this person was...! 

From his appearance, he looked human enough, but he possessed an otherworldly elegance which was not mortal. His eyes were the eyes of a serpent, his lithe body that of a dragon. He seemed to radiate an aura I had only just begun to recognize...

I edged closer tentatively, my eyes wide with both fear and curiosity.

"You...I know I've seen you somewhere...or felt you...!" I tried to put my feelings in words, but it was not possible. Standing so close to a being this powerful, I felt clumsy and awkward a creature in comparison. "I know it doesn't make sense, but somehow...I feel as though you have been beside me for the longest time..."

"My name is Seiryuu."

Oh, that sound...! It was deafening, but as soft as the caress of a feathered wing. His voice held the quality of a rushing stream, a crashing waterfall...the melody of endless rain. It felt cold, as it brushed against my ears, but it seemed to hold warmth...for me and me alone. He smiled at me, and I knew I had been right, but his smile seemed sad, somehow...and longing. 

I found myself feeling sorry for him...wanting to help him somehow. He looked so alone...but I had only known this stranger for the past minute! Why did I feel as though I'd known him...forever?

He touched my shoulder with his curved claws, and turned his gaze away, almost shyly.

"I have been beside you ever since you were born, Conan. Who do you think has protected you with water all your life? The incident with Brian, when you got angry with Ame, and all those other times when you had felt enraged and helpless...surely you don't think they were your own powers? I lent myself to you, so that you could avenge your dignity...so that you wouldn't be endangered."

He turned those glowing eyes back on me, and they held the quality of shattered ice. "And every single time, you were worth aiding. You do not run away from me, like so many others...I was right about you. Eventually...you'll understand..."

I backed away, shocked.

The stranger had vanished, simply faded away into thin air. Instantly, I found myself wishing he was there again, wishing he would explain more...or even just come back and talk to me. His presence had been comforting...and now I was alone again.

I didn't dare myself to believe he wouldn't return for me again...

"CONAN! Conan, we're over here!"

"There you are! We've been looking all over for you!"

-

~Suzaku~

Apparently, we were dropped off at several different ends of the palace. 

Mercy had come with me through the book, since she was the second one to enter - and she definitely spent a good deal of time bitching about it! Well, it was expected. Mercy was Mercy, born too proud not to bitch about an unexpected funnel into another universe. In this way, she was exactly like me. 

Heh. And look what an optimistic father I am about that, too.

While Mercy was swearing and gesturing every plausible way, however, I had located the other two troublemakers. Apparently, the portal - since it was so good at getting on people's nerves - had the indecency to drop Nagi and Ame in the royal kitchens. Damn it...of all places! When I had teleported them out of there, they were both covered in flour, and too shocked and breathless to speak; when they did eventually regain their nerve, and I had dusted them off thoroughly, poor Nagi started hyperventilating and complaining that both of them had been dropped on the cooking tables, where they were preparing a feast, and a kitchen maid named Ginko nearly started swatting them with a pastry roller when Ame's leg kicked her nose in on the way down. 

I nearly felt sorry for Ginko. For one thing, the poor old woman had been here ever since Juri first arrived. And secondly...well, anyone who had to deal with my children falling out of the ceiling deserves kudos. 

And with both Nagi (born just a tad bit wimpy by nature; he and Byakko would have lots to talk about afterwards, and I'd make sure of that...) and Mercy shattering my eardrums, I managed to locate Conan... 

_...Not to mention someone very familiar..._

My oldest son gazed at us strangely when we had arrived, as though he wasn't really seeing us...rather, feeling around in the dark, knowing a familiar atmosphere around it, and yearning to touch it, but blocked off by daydreaming. His eyes were misty...forlorn. And I think I knew why.

"Someone very powerful was beside you; I sensed it clearly," I stared at him at eye-level...both of us were approximately the same height, so it wasn't difficult. "And I recognized that power immediately.

"Seiryuu came to you..."

"Seiryuu?!" Nagi moaned, plopping down on the grass...and utterly exhausted. "Who is this, now?"

"Do you know him, Dad?"

Mercy rolled her eyes, and massaged her forehead, even though it looked like she was compressing it, as though to squeeze the unnecessary shock of the segue out of it. She knew perfectly well who the object of the conversation was...she had connected with the Seiryuu seishi the most when she watched FY. "Damn this...this whole transition...Seiryuu, the dragon seikun, my ass..." 

"Dragon seikun..." Ame's eyes darted to Dad, an expression of amazement on her childish complexion. "How would you know a god, Dad? Do you have magic?"

I winked secretively, and Ame squealed in delight, clapping her hands. "You do, don't you? You do have magic!!"

"Seiryuu..."

Conan was staring at me yet again. But this time, his stare was more alive, more keen...he had penetrated through his thoughts, and now it seemed as though he was...curious? "You know Seiryuu...you knew he was here. You are truly...Suzaku-seikun, aren't you...Dad?"

All the children's eyes were transfixed upon me now. I shrugged casually.

"Personally, I was surprised I was able to keep it from you all for as long as I have. I would've thought that at least one of you would've had the nerve to get on my laptop and find out. That is my command center for programming the events of Konan, after all...I would've thought you might've used it to find pornography or something and accidentally stumbled onto it! If you had, though...I wouldn't have minded. You would've found out eventually."

"Pornography?" Ame glared accusingly at me, and I sweatdropped.

"Er..."

"Damn it...stuck in a foreign world with a chicken for a dad...!"

"Um..."

"Honestly..."

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaa...soooo, what were you saying about Seiryuu just now, Conan? Ahahahahaha..."

"DAD..." Mercy flared, but Conan restrained her, placing a long, graceful hand on her shoulder. 

Upon seeing him, and really seeing him this time, I gasped, and stared in concern...his eyes, unbeknownst to me, had turned sad, and his lips were trembling. I don't believe I had ever seen him that way before, not since he had broken up with Brian...I had not the nerve to intrude upon his mind, just as I have never intruded upon the thoughts of my other children. This was not a time for me to lose his trust that way. 

I decided, instead, to ask him. "Conan...what's the matter?" 

His face was white, and his voice thin. The other children strained to hear his hoarse whisper.

"You know Seiryuu, Dad...you must've known him for a while now, right? You...you must have seen heaven, as well, haven't you? He's up there, Dad, and he's watching over me. He's the one who's always protecting me with water. Even now, he is not willing to let me get hurt; as cold as he seems, he is guarding me..."

I narrowed my eyes.

I had suspected that the incidents with water - some of which I had witnessed for myself - were because of a heavenly deity. They were always shrouded in mystery, and I could never tap into the power source in time for me to realize where it was coming from; rarely do I ever visit heaven nowadays - had I kept visiting Seiryuu, I might've known it was him. He had deliberately kept the identity of my son's 'guardian angel' a secret...but why? Hell, why would he do that? I would've thanked him, for f*ck's sake!

"So what did he say?"

"All that needed to be said," My son was grim, a hand placed over his heart. "I now know that he needs me as much as I need him. What I don't know is why. Dad, I'm sorry...you probably had other plans for this journey, and for me. But please...allow me to see him again."

* * *

_Inside the palace, everything ran as smoothly as usual..._

_Taikou and Enri had lived in the palace for most of their lives now. They were the most famous couple in the palace, next to Hotohori and Houki, and were, as any of the guests could tell you, the most amiable and homely pair you would ever meet. There was a time when both had wanted, more than anything, to adopt a child, to share their happiness; but now they had more than enough!_

_By this time, Seiun had long since passed away. Having been through all that he had, the adventurous spirit, the old war veteran lay his head down to rest at long last. In his absence, the Koudoutai shrine had grown, and many children came to see the charming couple living there on a daily basis. Through this, Enri and Taikou gathered so many young Koudoutai apprentices...it was like raising a school._

_In a way, that was what it was. Soon, many of the children started studying the Koudoutai seriously, and the two of them couldn't have been happier to teach them. Eventually, the boys and girls started living inside the palace, and every morning, class would be conducted... _

_Currently, both were finally old enough to qualify as parents...and perhaps even more so. But upon looking at them, you would not have guessed that they were beyond the middle ages. One can easily deduct that they used to be very handsome when they were younger, and one would've been right... _

_It was on this day in particular that Taikou - and Irasa, who dwelled in the palace also - noticed a funny thing..._

* * *

~Taikou~

"Alright! Inochi, Masame, continue reading from the tankoubon, second passage on Page 81! Now, I expect the rest of you to listen to the two of them while I'm gone, and no fooling around or ripping out of the pages; we only have so many copies to spare! Damn it, Miharu, don't scowl at me. It'll become a habit if you don't watch out! And when I'm back, I expect all of you to have out the written work Taikou assigned yesterday, about the Magna Charta of the Tenbinza no Mikoto!"

"Isn't it Taikou_-chan_, Enri-sensei?"

"Yeah!"

"You really should start calling him more affectionate names!"

"Suzaku...! Come on, you're practically a married couple!"

"Damn it!"

"Enri-chan! Having problems?" I poked my head through the doorway inquisitively, as the whole class roared with laughter, and Enri blushed furiously. I was grinning myself, balancing the laundry basket on one leg as I held the door open. 

But I was getting old, and couldn't hold the position for long, so as Enri cursed, I winked at him affectionately, and headed out the door...

The light of the sun was positively brilliant today, as I set out in the direction of the gardens, singing a quiet song to myself as I passed under the shades of the pillars, a song that Nuriko had sung before as Lady Kourin... 

"_Ai no tame naraba, ichinichi senri...no wo koe, yama koe, michi wo fumikoete..."_

Uwabami Irasa was sitting near the rail in her chair, her back to me as I approached. A gentle spring breeze brushed against her, and strands of blue, as long as the entangling vines of the palace now, flew in the direction of the beckoning winds. She seemed so elegant, just sitting there, absorbing the wash of nature...

I sighed heavily in reminiscence. It was hard to believe that she was going to leave soon...

"Lovely day, isn't it?" Irasa murmured gently, just when I was ready to assume she was asleep. Her delicate features turned to me, and on her face was engraved a petit smile. "Thank you for bringing the laundry, Taikou-chan. You may leave them by the door. I'd very much like for my robes to absorb the fragrant air before I leave upon my journey tonight; it will remind me of your sweetness." 

"Irasa-san! I must say, I was fooled..." Laughing jovially, I prodded her on the shoulder. "Hey! How come you get to slack off like this all of a sudden? You were up and about only a few days ago, doing chores for the palace guards, and now you're sleeping like an old thing! Is Hotohori-sama taking that much pity on you?"

She shook her head, and grinned, baring her fangs; aged and mature as she had grown to be since we first met, she has had to shed three older fangs and twelve different layers of skin - all of which scared the hell out of us - and this pair was about two inches long each. It was a wonder how she kept them concealed at all...! 

"Little one...wouldn't Hotohori-sama take pity on you, Taikou-chan, if you were going to die?" 

"Well...there's that reasoning, too, but, ah..."

"Heehee..."

The Medusa had found a home in the palace, offered to her by Hotohori after Miaka's prolonged departure. She had been living and working here, just as she was supposed to, for more than twenty years now after the Battle of Shin'ai. And as for that whole death thing...

Well, perhaps I ought to explain why exactly we were taking it so lightly.

The Medusa race, being half snake and half human, have a shorter life span than most humans. Being mutated creatures, however, they 'die' in a bizarre sort of way...

For one thing, Irasa knew she was going to die a long time ago; she had seen it in her dreams. Since the soul of a Medusa is never reincarnated, and her 'death' was a sacred thing, it was Irasa's duty to prepare for the event as best she could. When she told all of us two month ago, I remember how shocked we all were, and how horrified we became when we realized she was not effected by it at all. Medusas were certainly morbid creatures...

The thing about a Medusa's 'death' is that it's not actually..._death_, per se. I was so speechless when Irasa told me before that she had actually done this ritual many times, but does not remember. She said that the process went like this...

_"For every one of us, it is different...but generally, monsters follow this rule," _she had explained patiently to me. _"As soon as I see that my day has come again, I shall grow my hair so that the strands are long enough to touch my feet, and I shall restrain from exploration and excessive movement. On the night of the ritual, I will dress myself in my previous skins, the skins that I have shed...and I will return to the place of my birth, along with my three closest friends - trinities are generally good luck, they say. For me, this place will be Sairo, in the forest nearest the capital city. Since I am journeying tonight, we shall arrive a few nights after, and right on time. I will remember where the exact spot is when I get there, if only by instinct...and I shall lay my head down to rest. Medusas will always awake on a night of the full moon, and shall always rest on a night when there is no moon at all..._

_"After I rest, sprawled out on the ground, my friends shall surround me and say a select prayer, and shall hold hands as my body is washed in complete darkness. Just when the darkness is too grave, and nothing can be seen, my body shall glow. For you see, Byakko and the forces of nature shall rot away the unnecessary components of my physical flesh, and restore my heart and my senses...my friends shall stay throughout the rotting until the first light of the sun. It is gruesome, but it doesn't hurt me, for Byakko would have already raised my soul into the heavens, to clean it of my memories...he would then replace it back into my now de-aged body when it is over._

_"I shall reawaken as a baby, and I shall not remember a thing about what had happened. Yet I shall grow extraordinarily quickly, and my instincts of survival will stay...so my friends can depart without worry. I would fend for myself until I grow up, and then I shall depart from the forest, and I shall live a mortal life, until it came time for me to be 'reincarnated' again. Medusas never die naturally...they simply become restored, and their bodies are recycled for new Medusas. But since many of my kind live hostile lives, they are killed before they can assume this ritual...and by then it would be too late. Yes...it may seem like death, Taikou...but your kindness and the kindness of the others will stay with me, and although I would not know why, I would be instinctively attracted to you and all your kindred, even after I am recreated as a child...so if I see those of your blood relation, I would know it in my heart." _

As shaken and scared as we were of the prospect, she said it was a natural thing...soon, we started to believe her. She told us not to mourn, so we had not. We did make sure that everything was ready for tonight, however. It was our duty. I got up early to treat her long, blue mane, and Enri made sure her skins from previous shedding were sown together firmly. She will not only arrive in the scaly robe, but also shall wear garlands of flowers and perfumes. Even Emperor Hotohori-sama took part, and ordered a carriage for her to arrive in Sairo with; he would've asked for a flashy entourage, too, had Irasa not - embarrassedly - restrained him. All three of us were going with her tonight, since we've known her the longest - Hotohori since she was employed, and us monks, too, although not as well until the battle took place. 

We have written letters to the others, the seishi and friends who had fought with us in the Battle of Shin'ai, to ask them to come for the occasion. And while the likes of Chichiri and Mits were startled at this miraculous phenomenon of fake death, while the likes of Tasuki and CLAMPraven said it was - in a direct quote - 'f*cked up', we all agreed to arrive at the palace tonight, as a final reunion to celebrate her departure. 

Mitsukake and Chiriko both work at the palace already (Chiriko had been an advisor to Hotohori-sama for a long time now), so it was no problem for them, but the others were heading in at different times; if I wasn't mistaken, I saw a certain blue-haired monk crossing the pavilion earlier on today, and a huge raven skimming across the golden roofs - and humming to herself, no less, so I knew at least two of them would be arriving on time. Nuriko no longer worked at the Konan palace, but the Kutou palace instead, as a spokesperson for Hotohori-sama for peace between the two countries; I believe Tomo has grown rather fond of him, so both would come tonight, at no objection to us. Tomo was rather a nice person, underneath the makeup.

_And all this for Irasa._

As I looked upon her face, which didn't seem to have aged at all, I tried to etch her face into my memory, so that I could keep it with me forever...I never wanted to forget the lowly servant girl who became so wise and strong after the horrible battle which nearly claimed all of us. She was a perfect mother to everyone around her...and despite what she had said...

I didn't want her to go. Everything we've done...everything we've gone through...tears welled up in my eyes as I thought of them. How could we bear to part with any of the fellowship we had formed thus...?*

"Irasa..."

"Ssh. Look."

Blinking in mild surprise, I realized that all along, the Medusa had not, in fact, been paying attention to me. She had been staring off into the distant flower garden, which lay in the path of her vision all along.

I gasped.

And there, in the windswept area, was Suzaku. Even though he was wearing foreign clothing, and I nearly stumbled back at his presence, it was him...the holy one, the one we had not seen for more than twenty years now...

My eyes widened, as I stared incredulously. 

_Was it a trick of the light? What was going on?! _

_Suzaku had never appeared to us again, except in visions and dreams! He hadn't had a direct conversation or even confronted with us after he established an identity in Toronto with Juri! He commanded Konan indirectly, and only indirectly..._

_Was it even possible, for him to return on his own free will...?!?_

There were children gathered around him, too...some young, some old...some that resembled him keenly, but all of which were beautiful, respectively. They were conversing, and their voices, from our distance, seemed almost like the chirping of songbirds. Irasa and I exchanged glances; she was not surprised, and her eyes held a mischievous twinkle. 

_Had she been watching Suzaku and those young ones all along...?!_

I didn't dare believe it, yet it was solid before my eyes. And it was with great astonishment that I realized the children...were _his._

Clutching the railing for support, I could barely contain my joy. I called out with a crackling voice, hoarse with emotion, as I stumbled upon weak legs to the phoenix god... 

"SUZAKU!! Suzaku, what are you doing here?!"

I knew it wasn't the ideal greeting, but when he turned and waved cheerfully back, I saw his smiling eyes, and his integrity was reflected in them as I ran into his arms, feeling tears of happiness run down my cheeks. As his children looked on with stunned gazes, I felt his aura, pulsating with the wing beats of fire, war and love... 

There was no denying his identity.

~

~Mercy~

I blinked, and did a double take; all the others were doing the same. 

Hell, what the f*ck else did you do when a crazy pink-haired lady starts bawling into your dad's shirt? She was middle aged (no gray hairs, so she must take a lot of conditioner), a lot smaller than Dad...and what else? Oh, yeah...he seems to recognize her, well enough to let her continue bawling into his shirt...perhaps a tad too well. But a seikun wouldn't take unknown concubines, would he? Dad is lecherous, but he doesn't have the Zeus and Hera arrangement with Mom...

Ooooooooh...shit. Well, here I am, taking a lovely little promenade down the path to hell. I just called my own father a seikun. Though God - the Christian one - knows this is probably just an opium-induced twilight zone from my subconscious, and that I'd wake up any moment now and be told it's just a huge-ass gimmick. 

Damn me.

I cleared my throat loudly.

"Care to enlighten us?"

The lady turned around, so that her face was revealed to all of us, and...

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh...well, that's a huge letdown in its entirety.

"Dear God," mumbled Nagi, and covered his face clumsily, turning as discreetly as he could the other way, and nearly tripping on a rock. Ame was...surprised; she didn't have the puckered lips anymore, at least. And Conan seems secretly happy to meet more of his kind, although right now, a shocked expression fit him fine.

I raised an eyebrow. "A pink-haired, pink-eyed, cotton candy cross dresser. Huh. I daresay, it has a nice ring to it, although that's about the only thing it's good for. Dad?"

But before our almighty father could intervene with his almighty sweatdrops of almighty nervousness, the drag queen bared his teeth. 

"And what is wrong with my pinkness, young lady?!" He roared, his rather lovely face - which I never condescended, by the way - turning an entirely different shade of ferocity altogether. Momentarily, he forgot that the chicken god of the whole damned country was standing right next to him with a soaked shirt on his behalf. "I love my pink hair and my pink eyes, and at least a dozen people I know can agree, as well as about ten dozen people I don't know in Konan! Not only is it rare, but I take very good care of it, and wash it at least twice every single day! There is not enough respect for people who treat their hair nicely these days, and I demand justice! It is not false, nor is it split, and it is in better condition than yours and Emperor Hotohori's combined - and that's the truth! Why, it's racism! So what if my hair is pink? It is glorious in all its pinkness, which I do not feel any shame for, and my confidence should speak for me in this matter of the utmost - mmph!!"

"Well, it's about time you were shut up, then," I mused, as Dad muffled the poor ranting freak with a handkerchief. This proved that he was a god, actually, because nobody actually carried a handkerchief on them, and therefore he must've pulled it out of thin air. "Dad, you have some pretty damn funny friends..."

Sweatdrops. "MERCY!!!"

"Be careful."

I turned around, to see that another person was approaching us. Tall and slender, the lady held herself as straight as a tree, but her eyes weaved glittering webs of ferocity and deceit. Her hair, like the boughs of a philosophical willow, swayed from side to side nonchalantly in the wind. She spoke with an odd sort of slur...it must've been the fangs. And I knew that quote was directed at me.

I raised an eyebrow, shifted my gaze to the pink-haired man (the gag had gone too far down...now Dad was performing a rather clumsy version of the Heimlich maneuver), and back to this new breed of canine teeth gone too extreme. 

"And just how did something as simple as Fushigi Yuugi spawn these creatures?"

"Mercy!!" Conan yelled, then sighed in defeat. If there was anyone who knew I had no pride nor dignity to spare, it was my adorable older brother. Tch. "Well, there's always the possibility that we missed a plot twist in the ending...we didn't get to see Dad animated at the end of FY, either." He frowned. "But I didn't think that Watase Yuu would add another cross dresser; Nuriko proved her point clearly enough! So why...?"

There was a rather loud "Hack!" as the handkerchief finally came flying out, and nearly grazed Ame's shoulder ('Eeeeeewww...!' 'I do not even want to know what that gunk is...' 'Nagi...!'). As the man gasped for breath, the fanged lady addressed Dad, who had by now worked up a sweating frenzy...

"Suzaku...it has been a long time," she bowed primly. "I trust these are your children?"

Dad smiled warmly, and bade her to her feet, checking first to make sure that the other person was alright. Suddenly, he seemed far more in control than he had a few seconds ago. "Hello, Irasa. Yes, these are my children: Conan, Mercy, Nagi, and Ame," he gestured to each of us in turn, and the others bowed slightly, feeling a bit out of place in such an elegant procedure. Who would've thought Dad had some miniscule sense of grace?

I listened on.

"I can't believe you're here again...!" The pink-haired man had tears in his eyes; gulping, he shook them off embarrassedly. "Sorry...I just never thought...!"

"Well, frankly, for a while, I never thought I'd have to, either, Taikou." Dad's eyes gleamed, as he beheld both of them. "But this is special. Apparently, you're going to revive your youth soon, Irasa?"

Irasa smiled graciously. "Was that why you came? I'm thankful that you'd watch over my parting...but most of it would be Byakko's responsibility, when the time comes."

"I know, I know...but would I be a god if I didn't care for one of the soldiers of Shin'ai? Even if I do have other business here..."

"...Is that what you're calling us now?"

"_Well..._" A nervous chuckle. "Eheheheheh..."

"Better to let that one slip. So you're saying that something else is going on?" Taikou's eyes practically lit up with curiosity. "What is it? Does it involve us?"

"Weeeeeeeeeeellll...somewhat," Dad admitted, "because you do deserve to know what is going on. Well, for one thing - and this was rather unexpected - I need to talk to Seiryuu face to face. Apparently, something suspicious is going on with him and my oldest son, and as the man of the family, I have to look into it..."

He glanced at Conan momentarily out of the corner of his eye. "Of course, you'll be coming along."

Conan smiled. "Thank you, Dad."

"And also, there's some business in the ways of my other children as well," he continued. "Their destiny is intertwined with that of this universe...so I guess it's partly my fault that I never told them what was going on..."

Damn right.

"...Therefore, the fact that all of you will be assembled here tonight is a relief to me. I trust that you'll educate them a bit in the workings of this world. They'll be coming here a lot more often than they'll expect," he added grimly, as an afterthought.

The younger ones exchanged glances, but Conan and I jerked to attention by this point. Silently, I mouthed out the word 'permanently?' to him.

It was a possibility that sent shivers up his spine. Placing a finger across his lips, he shook his head. Expressionlessly, I nodded, though I felt my heart growing cold. I had been used to tragedy...Mom's death had hardened me considerably. And yet I felt my feet sinking into the earth...

Neither of us wanted to scare the children. But if we were the children of a god...

...Could it mean we never belonged anywhere else...?

"It also involves Jenny."

"Juri...?" Taikou's eyes lit up, at the mention of my mother's name. His entire face seemed to glow; Dad always loved people who were genuine, and I guessed secretly that this was exactly why he was so fond of this strangely beautiful person. "That's right! Where is Juri, anyway? I was expecting both of you together! If our Miaka and Taka couldn't both be here, then at least we wanted the two of you to be!"

"What is the matter? Is something wrong?" Irasa murmured worriedly, as Ame's eyes widened in shock, and my younger sister started crying unexpectedly. Placing an arm around her, Nagi turned his face away, unable to speak for her pain. Conan didn't dare look into the eyes of the confused strangers, either. 

"Suzaku...?" Taikou whispered.

Dad's face was unreadable. I decided to spare him the grief.

"Mom's dead," I told them frankly. "She's gone."

* * *

_Sunset..._

* * *

~Taikou~

I couldn't accept it.

How could Juri die?! It was impossible. Irasa slapped the face of that cruel-hearted child when she said that, and I saw the pain burning deep into the empty crevices of her serpentine eyes...for it was as though she had just slapped Juri...that was how much the girl looked like her. 

And in doing so, she had struck herself.

But the child would not regret what she had said. And she hurt us...so deeply that it may never be healed again.

_"Whatever relationship the two of you had with Mom is gone. She's dead, and there's nothing anyone can do. I am not sorry for your pain; you should've expected that someone from my world who got to enter this mysterious play would face tribulations never faced by normal humans - a car crash isn't even that. It's a human death. Or is that why you can't understand it."_

I lost my temper. My tears ran berserk, and I lost my temper completely.

_"YOU INSOLENT CHILD!!! How could you ever say such things?!? Why are you trying to hurt us this way?! You don't know what your mother was to us!! Stop it...STOP IT!!!"_

_"Taikou..."_

_"Please...forgive my sister, sir. She...she cannot stand the pain. This was not what she meant to say. She only says this because it's the only way she knows how to cope with her own sorrow...one that is far greater than what the two of you suffer."_

That had come from the sensitive child, the one that looked just like Suzaku. He'd wrapped his arms around his younger sister and told us this with sad eyes we could barely look into, for they blinded us and they scarred us...and the two of them were an image of their mother and father together. He defended her. We were too cruel...

I poured everything out to Enri...he took it silently, and caressed me gently, but perhaps it was out of ignorance. I was more like Juri...she and I seemed to be able to relate to one another better, despite how little I knew her. She was more than just a fellow human being...she was a heroine, but more modest than a commoner. Was I like that? I was not certain...but I knew her gentleness to be one similar to mine, her anger resembling mine as well.

Everything seemed to fade away like a dream...the transition from sadness to recovery, this strange convalescence, ended at sundown. 

...

I was no more happy than when I begun, but at least my face was dry and I clutched onto my dignity. Irasa and Enri were beside me; we didn't dare tell this to anyone else. I didn't want to face the others now...I didn't want a reunion. 

I wanted to be alone. 

Yet I didn't embrace this feeling; I shivered, shrinking away from it as though it were ice. Surely our seikun had other news...? He didn't come simply to tell us this...?

"Suzaku...what was the reason you told us about Juri? Such a disgusting thing...I think we would've rather not known about it..." Enri interrupted the silence, sensing my distress.

The children, holy and pure as they were, turned to their father; it turned out that none of them had an answer they could offer, either. The one called Mercy still struck me as a demon, however...a demon with a perfect exterior, but with her heart rotted out. I felt sorry for her, for I knew the one called Conan was right. Perhaps both of us needed time...?

Suzaku smiled. His smiles always had that mysterious quality that we dared not question...just like we didn't question the imagination of an adolescent. Sometimes it was perverse...but this time it was easy to swallow. True...if there was such a thing. Truth is a relative word in this day and age...** 

"I told you this to prepare you for what would happen next."

"And what may that be?" Irasa's tone was clipped. 

"My finding Juri again."

Everyone snapped back to reality. The hazy period that was sunset had shattered, and we were left with a purple night sky. 

"...W-What...?" I murmured, hardly daring to believe what I heard. 

Was the dream broken now...?!

"This is the truth," Suzaku nodded, confirming it. His smile grew wider. "I'm going to find Juri again. For you see, such a clever girl can never disappear...

"Conan, take care of them while I'm gone. You'll find me and your mother in the village of Momijitaka."

And with a wink and no further explanation, the phoenix god disappeared...!

* * *

* - (bashes own head in) Good God...the disease is spreading into my stories!!! (tears at hair) NO MORE MIDDLE EARTH INNUENDOS!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO...

** - Lalalalala...guess what manga I'm reading? (holds up Imadoki - we own it not) Wink wink!!

Oh, and did anyone recognize that song Taikou was singing? That was Nuriko's 'Otome Ranman'; kudos if you did! We do not own it; it is waaaaaaaaaaaay too chipper for our tastes...

* * *

MINNA!!!! (glomps) I know, I know! It's time to head onto the next chapter! And I own you some talk about this chapter! But I have got to rant about LOTR!!

_Juri: (mutters worriedly) (steps aside from the danger spot)_

(clears throat loudly) It was a dark and stormy night...well, no, but it was raining, and that was good enough. (nods furiously) The fated video was rented on October 25, 2002. Besides this, I have only ever caught glimpses of LOTR in Wal-Mart stores - from which I caught the beginning and part of the ending - while trying to look inconspicuous. (sweatdrops) No, I'm not one of those pimply loiterers you see in your local department store!! (Or am I?! Dun dun dun...) I wasn't interested in it the first time...but that's because it was the beginning, and Legolas wasn't in it, and when I saw the end, he was in it, and then I really, really had to try to look inconspicuous, because I was very very much amazed indeed. It takes a real man to wear that hairstyle!!

_Juri: Aaargh...CLAMPraven, ALL ELVES wear that hairstyle!!_

(blinks) O.O Not Arwen!!

_Juri: (mumbles incoherently)...the males, CLAMPraven...?!_

(considers) Well...(grudgingly)...yeeeeeeessss, but...Haldir never looked as good!!

_Juri: =-=;;;_

In any case, I saw the whole thing. Twice. Three times. Okay, until the end of the movie wouldn't show anymore, and I realized that our crappy, outdated VCR might've eaten up something it shouldn't have. Er. And so, you see, I really really loved it, and even though the first time I watched it, I wasn't paying too much attention to the rest of the characters ('LEGOLAS!!! Oops, did I say that out loud? Huh? No, Mom, he's not a _girl_...'), I learned to love nearly all of them eventually - Haldir scared me at first, but I lived. Er.

In the end, I realized that Frodo looked like a brunette Phoebus Apollo (How do I pull these things out of my head?! It was because of the scene when he held the ring underneath the sun, thinking about the journey to Mordor...if it's not Apollo, then some other anonymous Greek God!!), and while I'm sure it was just the directors trying their best to make a dull character look pretty, Elijah Wood is actually very pretty in reality, especially since he has those huge long-lashed eyes. Er. And I realized that I actually ended up learning a lot about LOTR after the viewing, so I then decided to go back on FFN.net, and try to find The Aragorn Heredity Gags again (gods...if you haven't read this...kudos to Akai's genius!!), which I didn't understand the first time, but I now understood it, and the Blade of Isildur joke had never sounded so good. Er.

_Juri: (fed up) Stop talking like Masklin from The Bromeliad!!! (We do not own...but it's a good book!! Terry Pratchett and yellow frogs are coooool...) Now then, what's that slip of paper you have in your hands?_

Hm? (raises paper) Oh, this is a list of the many things I noticed during the movie. Er. It's the length of a fic, I should think, but will do!! ^-^ (clears throat) (starts reading)

* * *

**CLAMPraven's list of things to watch out for during a viewing of the Fellowship of the Ring: **

1. If a wizard has a hat, it never falls off by itself, not even during riding on horseback at 70 miles per hour or during the middle of a mountain's collapse. (nods) 

2. Everyone has blue eyes!! GAAAAH!!!! (calms down) Okay, so not EVERYONE has blue eyes, but...aaargh...just look at them all!! It's like 80 percent of Middle-Earth's population!! They may be different shades of blue, but they're all blue, regardless of how dark (you know I'm talking about Arwen; her eyes are not only a dark blue, but a very solid plastic blue, to the point where they look marbly)!

3. The ending song? Sung by an elf. (nods vigorously) Believe it or not, I actually stuck around for the end of the credits, and it wasn't really that long at all...

4. It is not impossible to tell Merry and Pippin apart. I found this hard to believe at first, and it took maybe...a few rewinds...but I finally am able to distinguish them by more than just their voices and personalities! Merry has lighter hair and a wider face, while Pip has darker, longer hair. The easiest way, however, would be by their clothing, their intelligence (poor Pippin always has to be on the receiving end of it all...), their voices (kinda scared me at first how deep Merry's voice was), or their height (I believe Pip's just a tad smaller). Put away the mallets, for God's sake! They really look alike to the LOTR beginner!!!

5. (singsong) Aragorn's got a monkey's face, do dah, do dah...(snaps out of it) Iya!! Eheh...my mom first pointed it out, and after a while, I started to see her point; when Aragorn struggles in battle, check the alignment of his teeth. Very orangutan-ish. (nods) This does not mean, however, that he isn't kawaii!! Monkeys happen to be very kawaii!! (sweatdrops) And for those of you who would rather believe that he looks like Christ, I do agree as well. In some ways, he does look like both. But I insult ye Christians not!! Christ does not, I repeat, DOES NOT look like a monkey!!! (double sweatdrop) (just digging myself a humongous hole, just digging away, lalalalala...)

6. Saruman's robes have the traditional Chinese influence. When you look at them closely (The white ones...or are there any other ones? ^-^;;), you can see it; plus, the fact that his sleeves billow out in the wind is also a dead giveaway. 

7. Did anyone else notice how retarded the little scrimmage between Saruman and Gandalf looked at the beginning of the movie?! (sweatdrops) It is no lie! Some people like that kind of decisive fight, and Christopher Lee did look very insane, I'll give him that...but two old guys who should be in retirement knocking each other down over and over doesn't seem like much of a battle, ne? And plus, Gandalf spinning on the floor by his head...(sniggers)...I'm sorry!! I know it's supposed to be serious!!! (snaps) Bwahahahahahaa!!!

8. And speaking of retarded...I don't know. Honestly...when Boromir was trying to take the ring from Frodo...no, after Frodo put on the ring...that did not look very impressive. He screamed, he cursed, and he slid off the hill. WTF?! That, and he dropped his firewood, and he did a cute little whimpering plea at the end. Good speech, bad movement. (shakes head disapprovingly) Ah, the strange and wondrous ways of Hollywood...!!

9. The only singing in that whole movie (the actual movie) was that little excerpt by Bilbo! Where did the singing go?!? The singing is what makes LOTR, just as the vivid descriptions of food is what makes the Redwall series (Ever notice? That, and the fact that we don't own it, obviously...badgers rule!! ^-^;;; And just so you know, when a book describes feasts more than it describes feats, it's probably time to stop reading. (nods))! 

10. Legolas's hair is a highlighter color, as is 90 percent of the elf hair in this production. (narrows eyes) I spot a money making scheme...!! (And did you notice? He never really _ran _on snow...Orlando Bloom, you coward!! ^-^;;;)

11. "NOT THE BEARD!!!" I'll give you a cookie if you can find a better Gimli line in another scene!

12. When Gandalf was reading an excerpt from the huge fat book next to Balin's grave...does anyone honestly think that half a page of Dwarvish can amount to a measly 4 lines? I'd have to read the book version to check this one out...

13. The smart, smart (okay, semi-smart) folk in Hollywood have shrunken the prologue!! Well, obviously, but...I've heard rumors about this dreaded thing that turns would-be LOTR fans away, and from what I've gathered, it's really really long and boring. Not that the movie introduction wasn't really really long and boring avec CGI effects, but less so. (nods)

14. CG is an omen from God that the world needs to stretch its budgets. (nods) Oh, yes, definitely.

* * *

Hm...well, never mind. Er. Now that I've seen the movie, and am eventually going to read the book, there is no reason why I should still be stuck on Legolas! He should fade away soundly in about a month...if only to reappear again in about another month, due to The Two Towers coming into theaters on December 14th. Er...

_Legolas: (sighs in relief) (promptly collapses)_

But...ne...how do I get you to fade away _earlier_? I have homework to concentrate on, after all! Er...

_(the cast of LOTR): Hm...(thinks hard)_

_Pippin: Well, you can probably get a new muse quickly enough. Perhaps another elf? (holds up piccy of Deedlit) ^-^ She's actually very pretty..._

_Merry: (narrows eyes) Pippin, CLAMP raven's not bi! (scratches chin) CLAMP probably is, though...but CLAMPraven is into aestheticism only to a certain degree. (nods satisfactorily) Besides, she - hey! PIP!! Stop making kissy faces at the poster!! (pries him off)_

_Saruman: (to CLAMPraven, hopefully) You know, suicide's also an option..._

_Gandalf: (glares) Saruman!! Put down the staff!! She didn't say yes or no yet!_

_Gimli: Old men and their bickering...what you need is psychotherapy!! (nods vigorously)_

_Aragorn: Well, yes, that too, but seppuku is easy enough. (considers) Boromir'd better do it for you...(refers to the cutting at the scene from Rivendell)...(evilly quietly) bwahahahaha..._

_Boromir: (pissed off) Are you STILL going on about that?!_

_Aragorn: (raises an eyebrow) I had to kiss you when you died, and yet you have the audacity to come BACK?! _

_Frodo: Don't worry about it. If your obsession doesn't fade away in time, we'll just lock you in the mines of Moria. (nods)_

_Samwise: No, therapy! (starts dialing Jerry Springer's number)_

_Arwen: Seppuku! (gets out the daggers and jumps into a kimono) _

_Elrond: Moria! (tries to open the door to the mines, but fails pitifully) (gives up and is zapped off to another slash fic with Isildur before he could be hunted down by CLAMPraven, who is also a rabid Elrond fan in addition)_

_Galadriel: Oh, for f*ck's sake, shut up!! All of you!! I need my beauty sleep to keep my eyes all thin and evil-looking!!_

_(cast of LOTR): (arguing)_

........................................(wearily) Gaaaah...I should've really split this up into another fic. Er.

_Legolas: (narrows eyes) (pats her on the back a little)_

Hey!! (grins) The Masklin speech impediment is gone!!

_Legolas: (sweatdrops) Of all the favors I do for fangirls...and do you realize that she hasn't given me a single decent line up to this point?! This is just like the movie...even fangirls treat me better than this!!_

(too happy to listen to him) Hum de dum...

_Legolas: (shakes head exasperatedly) I'm calling my agent..._

-CLAMPraven 


	49. And now, to Screw up the Whole Damned Pr...

**"Juri"**

**-from girl to oracle-**

**By CLAMPraven**

**SPECIAL COLLECTION**

* * *

~ And Now, to Screw up the Whole Damned Production! ~

Part 6 of the Legend of Juri Special - Never-ending

* * *

(The whole cast is here...)

_(cast): (sniffle sniffle)_

_Taikou: WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!! (has to be restrained by Enri) It's oveeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...(cries)_

_Juri: Now, now...(pats back)_

_Byakko: So, what fic are you moving onto after this?_

_Suzaku: I'm not sure...I've got a few interviews, but no big roles. (narrows eyes) I think Watase-sama can hook me up with something, though...you? _

_Byakko: (shrugs) I might go crossing over...(pops beer bottle) You want some?_

(Oh, pass one over here, Byakko...yeah, thanks. (sips) It really is sad...(tearfully)..._but I don't wanna leave_!!! Noir, I can't do as good a job as I did here in the next Michiru fic!!)

**((sighs painfully) Yeah, there really is nothing quite like this. This marks the end of a whole year of working on Juri, and now we have to shatter the foundations...no Sailormoon fic can make up for this huge loss!)**

_Ame: Speak for yourselves! (takes a sip also) We're killed before we've even begun!_

_Conan: (eyes bulge out) You're not supposed to be drinking!!_

_Mercy: (glances around angrily) Say...where's the authoress at a time like this?! We're about ready to end this farewell party! (blinks) Er..._

(Everyone looks in the corner, and sweeatdrops. Flipping through The Silmarillion, munching on a croissant and muttering incoherently - occasionally stabbing the page with her pinky finger, swearing, and flipping to the index/pronunciation guide/lineage graphs/map of Beleriand - was CLAMPraven. Sitting beside her on her reading quilt was a much-needed bottle of Tylernol. Oh, that, and we don't own the Silmarillion, nor any of Tolkien's fictional works. Okay, screw it. We don't own anything except these weirdoes. YOU HEAR?!) 

Damn this book for being so confusing...(munchmunch)...and damn me for being such a fangirl...(munchmunchmunch)...they don't even MENTION my favorite LOTR characters in here, and I just had to read it. They said that this thing would have no readership, if there was no fellowship. (pauses) DAMN RIGHT!!! (cringes) Aaaaaaargh...now, who the f*ck was Elendil again? (flips) Elendil...e...l...e...no, shit, that's the appendix. Index, goddamn it! Now...e...l...e...

_Enri:..............You asshole!! (pitches empty wine bottle at her head) And besides, Elendil hasn't even appeared in the measly amount you've read so far!! You suck!!_

NOT THE HEAD!!! (ducks and whimpers, clutching her skull) This poor baby has endured a week-long migraine! (pouts) It's not my fault that I couldn't find the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and had to settle for this insane piece of work instead!! (kicks The Silmarillion across the room, folds her arms, and discreetly glares the other way) Damn, but Tolkien's mind was screwy. I mean, more than five workable languages? Come onnnnnnnnnnnn...the poor dead dude needed a hobby while he was still alive and walking!! I think I'll have more than a little trouble reading the rest of his work...and to think! I read The Hobbit when I was in grade 4, and I can't read The Silmarillion now!! (bashes head) Aarrgh!! (pops a handful of pills in)

_Juri: NIMROD...this is the goodbye party for your most magnificent fic EVER, and you're worried about LOTR?!? F*ck...(shakes head)...this is too much...come on, everyone. Let's get the hell out of here...(leaves)_

(WELL...at least we trashed the mansion. (narrows eyes) Suzaku!! I know you have to leave your mark, but stop pissing on the confetti!! And Mercy - don't you dare set fire to the mezzanine! This is NOT the rock-band-hotel-room-trashing ritual!! Come on, people, move it along...) 

Well, then...go ahead!! Leave! Shoo!! All of you!! (mumbles incoherently) Now, who was this Ingwë guy again? I...n...g...

-CLAMPraven 

* * *

~Chichiri~

"Tasuki ~ ! Long time no see!!!"

"HOLY F*CK!! Chiri, get the f*cking okama off of me!!"

"I don't think that's humanly possible at the moment, no da..." Sweatdrops.

"Shit, Chiriko!! Look at you - you're all grown up! I haven't seen you in a while..."

"Gosh, CLAMPraven...it was just a few feet..."

"A few feet, my ass!!"

"CHIRI!! GET HIM OFF!!!" The bandit's flailing arms nearly hit their target, before knocking over glassware and stumbling over furniture. "GET HIM OOOOOOFFFFFFFFFFFFFF..."

Smash. Crash. Bang. Hotohori and Houki are looking slightly distressed now.

"...Eep, no da. Um, Nuriko, na no da...you might just want to let go..."

It was nearly nighttime, and the halls of the Konan palace were abuzz with activity. The lanterns and joyous activity rang across the guest rooms, and our gracious hosts, the beautiful Emperor Hotohori and the lovely Empress Houki, have both been kind enough to set up a feast for our gathering, as well as live entertainment. All the remaining seishi were here...having left Mt. Taikyoku recently, I was only too happy to join such a celebration. I had heard rumors of the demise of the Medusas from Taiitsu-kun, but when it was confirmed that our dearest friend Irasa would undergo such a strange and unnatural procedure...well, how could I refuse tonight?

Everyone was so lively, and the occasion was so grand, I wouldn't have been surprised if the Mikotos flew down from above to join us; although Taikou informed us (the monks were blessed with good intuition and supernatural connection) that they would not be here, as there was a recent scuffle in the south of Hokkan that they needed to overlook, as well as a flood in Kutou's east, they were certainly regretful that they could not attend. 

But aside from that, everybody was united, and though we were older, and slightly more irritable (which goes without saying for the likes of Tasuki), our very youth has been revived as soon as we saw each other again. Tasuki and CLAMPraven are unofficially married, although it was only declared by the bandits and they had never said it (the two of them preferred their freedom and their arguments over having each other, apparently); there were no children, as CLAMPraven declined Taiitsu-kun's many offers of transforming her back into a human for her heroic efforts as the Sakura Griffin. Who would've imagined it?

Chiriko, now a handsome lad and the main attraction for most of the palace ladies, was an advisor to Hotohori, ranked highest in his council - though no less innocent than before. Mitsukake was also valued greatly as the royal family's most reliant doctor, who is known to be teaching Boushin the ways of the medical arts; the young to-be-emperor was keen on medicines of all kind, and was actually 'studying abroad' tonight. Nuriko had returned from Konan, as rosy and beautiful as ever - with no grey hairs, unlike the rest of us! - and keeping a close eye on Tomo. There was a possible love interest developing there, I would say...

But there had been no signs of Taikou, Enri, or the Medusa we waited upon...

"I'm glad there was such a party arranged, no da," I smiled, as Chiriko approached me from behind, and as Nuriko clung on to a very disgruntled bandit. "What were we thinking? We should've done this anyway, na no da! We're all getting old, and it's not news; this was what we needed to fill the emptiness of lost companionship in our hearts, no da."

The young scholar nodded, and couldn't help but chuckle at the antics of the others. Now, CLAMPraven was actually trying to pry the purple-haired seishi off amidst swearing, while Hotohori winced at the amount of damage this was causing... 

"I think all of us were afraid it would be too nostalgic. But really, Chichiri-san...we haven't lost the past at all...!"

"Okay! Okay!! I'm going; I'm going!!" Nuriko laughed, climbing off Tasuki's back and blowing a raspberry at the sight of his scowl. "Hey - what's wrong with a little fun now and then?"

"A little fun?!" Tasuki roared, as everyone laughed at the scene unfolding, "Well, Mr. Bundle of Sunshine, I don't mean to f*cking intrude, but - _holy shit._"

His eyes widened in shock, and his jaw dropped instantaneously. There was an uncomfortable silence.

"Da? Tasuki?"

Everyone in the room, confused, followed his gaze. There were many people in the room, so for a while, we had to search for what he was talking about. But from Hotohori's council, the servants and maids, and the myriad of curious young faces that snuck in from Taikou's Koudoutai shrine, a flash of red burned in the crowd like an explosive fire...

"Oh..._Suzaku..._" Murmured CLAMPraven, her eyes suddenly frightened...and sad. Grabbing Tasuki's arm for support, she averted her gaze, visibly shaken.

I shook my head, slowly at first, then with more force, as if trying to convince myself it couldn't be. Now that I had no other masks, I could not hide my expression...and while I used to be a wise pillar of support for others, I was just as fragile and stunned as everyone else.

"That's...that's not possible...!" 

For there was no mistake. 

As the young man pushed through the unaware crowd, making his way slowly towards us, a pale face with patient eyes, his figure almost seemed to glow. His hair was the shimmering hue of a scarlet rose, and his eyes...so strange they couldn't be contended with...! With an arched back, and as straight as the mightiest tree that reached up to the burning sun...this boy was surely _glowing_...

"S-Suzaku...?!" Mitsukake murmured, as the youth barely grazed his shoulder when he passed, stopping at the awestruck emperor and the empress, and bowing respectively.

"Are you the Emperor Hotohori?" He asked, his voice the soft morning melody of a bird. As we looked closely at his youthful shape, his elegant manner and his carved features, we saw none other than Suzaku in them. Reflected in his eyes was holy fire...it was a gentle glow, altogether not like our god, but just as feral in its heart.

There was no mistake...!

Numbly, Hotohori nodded, even more confused that someone with no royal lineage would be addressing him so simply. "Who...?"

"You ain't Suzaku."

The frank comment, so quiet it nearly slipped by us, came from the throat of another redhead...Tasuki, his teeth bared as if in enmity, and his eyes blazing, stepped forward, surprising all of us. 

Even he usually isn't this blunt...and his confidence...

"Tasuki, no da -" I began, but was cut off by the young man. 

"That's alright." Suddenly, the youth started to look nervous, and almost a bit frightened, as he glanced around. Tasuki's hostile stare wasn't doing much good, so I laid a restraining hand on the bandit's shoulder, and nodded for the boy to continue. "...It's just that...I'm not used to royalty. And all of you..." He blushed. "How did I manage to get stuck with all these prestigious people? Please don't take it offensively, but I have never seen anyone like you all before, and since Mercy didn't want to have to talk for us - huh?" He blinked rapidly, as the black-haired Nyan-Nyan came forward also.

"Not used to the royalty..." CLAMPraven bit her lower lip, and inspected the boy, her eyes misty, as though she were walking in a foreign dream... "Those clothes...they look like something thrown together by the Koudoutai Shrine. You aren't from the palace. Damn it...and you sure as hell aren't one of the local hobos! Who are you, boy?" 

He smiled, a prim smile that hid everything else. He smiled beautifully...almost like...

"My name is Conan...you and the redheaded man...you know my father, right? It's really inconvenient how much we look alike sometimes..."

It was as if a thin layer of black ice had been shattered...and the impact was the sound of everyone gasping at once.

-

~Tasuki~

"...It...it can't be...!!" Chiriko was the first to speak. His voice was a fragile squeak, and we knew it would break any second if he weren't careful. "How did that...h-how did Suzaku...?! How could there be a c-child...?!"

"It's impossible...!" Houki exclaimed, a hand over her delicate lips, and staring worriedly at Hotohori...who was too overwhelmed to give any response. "Tell me...it cannot be true!!"

"Stop spewing shit, all of y'all. We're only saying this crap 'cause we're nervous; we weren't anticipating Suzaku's return, but isn't it true that we all wished something like this could happen?! Give the guest some respect, goddamn it!! Chiri, f*cking let go of my shoulder..." I muttered huskily, and turned to the boy, who was trembling with the attention he was receiving. 

"Loosen up, boy. It don't take no f*cking genius. Red eyes, darker than the bloodied rose in midnight...yet shining brighter than the holy pillar that resurrected the Iteza no Mikoto...the kind of contrast that a person sees once in a million lifetimes if they're that damned lucky. If you weren't one of Suzaku's blood relatives, I would've f*cking _Lekka Shinen_ed my own ass!!" I spat, brandishing my gleaming tessen.

"So that's it...you're Suzaku and Juri's child...now the resemblance makes more than enough sense. But, shit...if only I could feel relieved that I could see one of the blood relatives of Suzaku again...!" Suddenly rushing forward, CLAMPraven seized one of the boy's long, slender hands, and cried heavily, the tears staining his sleeves.

"I'm sorry..." The boy was frozen in confusion, staring from me to her, and trying his best to coax her. "Was it...was it something I said...? I'm sorry, Miss, if I've offended you...please...please, stop crying..."

"We should've known...that the trouble isn't over...!!" The Nyan-Nyan hissed dangerously, the salty liquid streaming down her face, her voice so high it was on the point of breaking. Her anger pulsated to the point where it spilled out in mutilated cries of shame. "Gods!! F*cking gods, we should've known our troubles wouldn't end with Kano and Hitori!!" She stared up with wild eyes into the boy's delicate face. "But something has happened. Something has happened again, I just know it..." 

The tiniest of whimpers escaped from her throat, as she buried her face in his sleeve again. "...Because angels..._always _appear before the death of someone we love...!!"

My eyes narrowed somberly. Everyone else did the opposite, because they did not understand. How could someone die? Why would Suzaku tell?

But Suzaku is full of universal secrets that we would never find...

The youth now understood CLAMPraven's despairing mourns. He closed his eyes quietly...

"Mom is not gone."

The Nyan-Nyan lifted her head in fear, as did everyone. "What...what...?"

"She has died, but she is not gone," The boy repeated softly, trying his hardest not to shatter the ice again, but it seemed to hurt him to utter the words. Damn, and reasonably so...! "Dad has come back to find her reincarnate; he wouldn't tell us the details, but he ...teleported away. To a place called Momijitaka...he left me and my younger siblings here, in the shrine that was built on the west side of this palace. The kind people...Taikou, Enri, Irasa...they're with them now...they were too ashamed to break the news to you, to see you just to destroy you like this. I volunteered to tell you..."

There was a very uncomfortable pause, as this revelation settled in.

"Say wha?" I blinked.

"Juri...she died...?!" Chichiri whispered.

Nuriko, numb with horror, shook his head violently. "No...what? She...s-she couldn't have possibly!!! You...Conan...what are you talking about?! Her reincarnate?!" 

The boy...Conan...turned the other way. "Mom died in a car crash 8 years ago."

"But wait!! What reincarnate?!"

"H-How...how is this p-possible?! Juri dying?!? That's insane!! Suzaku would've protected her!!" Screeched Nuriko, pushing the others away, and barely able to be held back by Mitsukake and Hotohori. "_It's not right!! _It's _sick!!! What are you talking about?! That's a lie!!!_"

"Suzaku wouldn't tamper with a natural death, Nuriko. But that is not the point..." 

CLAMPraven's voice was forlorn, and her eyes started to clear...like the ash-colored clouds, bitter with acid, sliding off to avoid the sky's brightness...a small, delicate smile broke out on her face, so fragile and gentle that it could've been killed in a single instant, with the wrong words, or a sharp stare...

But it was a smile, and it shined on her face, reflecting light into Conan's eyes, and the eyes of everyone else. Momentarily calming down, even Nuriko's eyes adopted the modest light of hope.

I grinned, revealing aged fangs. That was the effect my partner in crime had on people, all right.

"The point is that...Juri is alive. She's reborn...according to her child." CLAMPraven sighed wearily. "Gods...and we were so worried about her! I've never felt happier about being wrong...but this is the most important thing. I am sure of it. Isn't everyone...?"

She laughed, a sound that seemed to echo forever; without any support, from any force other than the power of her own voice...it echoed all the way to the ears of Mikotos and gods...

* * *

_The seishi and the child of Suzaku were silent, and it drowned out their shock for a while. Several of them broke down in tears. Others simply collapsed into a sitting, wondering what had just occurred, stunned beyond relief. But there were some, like CLAMPraven, who simply took it as a veritably natural thing._

_Those were few...they included, however, Chichiri, who was willing to aid the children._

* * *

~Enri~

"...And by the time your mother's group got there, it was said that Chichiri was completely buried in snow. Later, Chichiri told everyone this at the last banquet we had in this universe, before Juri departed...that was a great time for stories, because everybody remembered it...the perfect night. In any case...he had said that he could not feel his bones, that every inch of his body was frozen solid...and then he felt the strength of someone's hand, caressing his cheek. To him, it was a miracle, that that hand had belonged to Nuriko, who had excavated him with Tasuki and Chiriko-chan's help...

"It was said that the first person he saw was Juri. Technically, he owned his life, not only to her, but to all four of them...because even as Tasuki would admit, one seishi alone could not find the trail, and one thinker alone could not fight through obstacles innumerable. Because they were together, Chichiri's life was saved...otherwise, he would've bled to death on the mountain, his body entirely shattered by the cold...and there were wolves up there. They could've gotten to the carcass before anyone else did, and - " 

I blinked, then sweatdropped as Ame glared daggers at me. "Er...hopefully that wasn't _too _technical..." 

"So even the mage Chichiri wasn't strong enough, and yet...someone with no powers and no stamina whatsoever like Mom was when she was young had managed to dig him out," Nagi mused skeptically. "Ne...a bit farfetched, though. It's like an anime fanfiction written by a sadistic romantic with no room for failure. Oof!!"

"Serves you right, little shrew," Mercy withdrew her fist from where his head used to be, as she propped Nagi up again. "Now I know who was reading 'Yet Another Story' on my computer and forgot to close the window."

After Irasa and Taikou dressed the children in the extra monks clothing, and the two of them left to make the rest of the arrangements for tonight, the curious little birds started chattering away, and Ame begged me to tell her a story of her mother. I remember the stories that other people told about Juri, back before I knew her...plus, I was living in the palace back then, too, so I remembered a few things myself. 

So I told them, sitting inside the warm quiet of the Koudoutai library...I told them about her arrival through the ceiling of the palace, and the confusion between her and the first seishi as they struggled to understand each other...and I told them of the mountains, the second journey Juri had, venturing into the world again. I remember Nagi's comments about Juri's mute act, how it was 'just like Mom'. Ame had laughed when she heard of Chiriko's crush on Juri, and Mercy, as stolid as she was, made a definite face when I described the Chiriko-chan scrimmage. Around the time that I got to the avalanche, I suggested that one of the children go to the others and tell them about the tragic death, and after a long silence, Conan volunteered; it was inevitable, but with the storytelling, it seemed to drift so far away, because Juri...her spirit, her entity...was embodied into the stories. I knew this, because the eldest son - the most mature, at that - made me promise to tell him the rest of the story. 

This made me feel glad, to know that there was still a happiness that fought against the threatening sadness and rage in their hearts...that perhaps, there was nothing to worry about after all. They were Juri's children, after all...they are philosophical renegades of this world and the next, never tolerating failure and surviving forever. They would survive this...

I had absolute faith in them.

Now, about that little argument...

"Be careful, you two...you're still brother and sister, with a long way to go. Now that you know you're the holy children of Suzaku, there might be duties ahead of you where you'll have to lean on one another for support, as unlikely as it may seem...as both of you have your own wings for balance," I pointed out.

Mercy mumbled something that sounded vaguely like: 'well, I'm not Mudou Setsuna' and stumbled away. Nagi narrowed his eyes, and glared at me as though accusing me of being Taikou's adherent, then ran off to follow his older sister. Ame yawned.

"I'm glad you told us all this about our mother, Enri-san." The little girl smiled weakly. "It's not your fault Nagi and Mercy can't appreciate Mother more than themselves. They've only seen her as one thing ever since she died - the person who hurt them and ran away even though they loved her. It's not your fault."

I shook my head in awe, and stared at her. Now, where the hell did _that _come from?! "You really have inherited your mother's genes, haven't you?"

"Some flowers will always blossom at a young age. But I'm afraid that I'm one of those flowers...they have no room for growth. Ever wonder? People who grow up quickly when they're young would never grow as tall as the beauty that blooms late. Because I'm this way, I can't help but look down on others because they are not like me, and they don't understand me...it is because of this superiority complex - Nagi always says Mercy has this, too - that I will fall behind, thinking that I'm far ahead. I cannot stop it; it is the way things are."

She gazed thoughtfully at me. "Enri-san...you're so pretty. Your hair is so white, and you speak with the voice of a tempest. Tell me...when I grow my little wings, smaller than the ones that the other angels grow...where would Dad put me in his kingdom? Where would I belong?" 

But before I could muster an answer, so stunned at her wisdom that I was - and there was no mistaking her being a demigod now, to be this insightful at such a stage in youth! - there was a soft knock on the door. 

I turned around. 

"Conan...? Chichiri?"

"So...you're Chichiri-san!" Ame's face lit up dramatically as she saw the blue-haired mage, and giggled cutely...completely unlike the girl from a few seconds ago. "And you really do have the shakujou and everything! You're so cool ~ !"

Chichiri blinked, then laughed good-naturedly. "You must be Ame! Enri, did you tell her everything?" He scratched his head. "Honestly...I haven't talked to children for so long that I've forgotten how they can be like! And I can see that this one must be one of the most adorable ones I've ever seen! And she looks so much like Juri..."

He furrowed his brows, almost painfully.

"Yes...so it's true." Standing up slowly, holding onto the railing for support, he glanced worriedly at Conan, then at me. I could tell that he was distressed...I should've expected Chichiri, of all people, to react this way. But...

He was always the sensible one. It was unnerving, to see him so sad...

"This child...and those other children, standing by the windows...oh, gods..." He gasped. "So it's true...it must be. The phoenix's kin have come, to warn us that our goddess had died. Suzaku went to find her reincarnation, but souls that are reborn, regardless of their previous lineage, risk forgetting everything they'd learned.

"How can any of us afford to lose Juri again?! We won the war...we'd done everything we were supposed to! And yet this shower of tears is immobilizing the others...they are now too shocked to speak or do anything. CLAMPraven wishes to see the children, but I absolutely must go and seek the counsel of Suzaku, and I have to take the children along. Gods, if even we seishi, never mind his own children, risk being let down blind by him in this time...! Surely he knew the consequences of letting Juri die?! This is traumatizing everyone she knew, including himself!!"

Gritting my teeth, I stood up. "Chichiri, calm yourself! It's not like you to be this disconcerted. You know that! CLAMPraven sent you to guide the children to Momijitaka Village - and don't forget who we're talking about here!! She wouldn't have sent just anyone in her place." 

I paused. 

"She sent you. She trusts herself above everyone else to see her work through, and she could easily go find them alone. But she sent you...do you know what this means? She wants someone who is less severe than herself to handle the situation. She needs your patience to deal with Suzaku, because out of experience, we all know he has his reasons for whatever crazy actions he takes. Gods are eccentric that way...Chichiri? Are you alright? I'm sorry if this offends you, but..."

The monk sighed, shifting his feet. "No, no...I apologize. I...shouldn't have let myself get so carried away. It is unlike me." His gaze softened. "I ought to take the children along now. The faster we find them, the faster we finish this terrible crisis we had begun. But..." 

Chichiri shook his head vehemently at Ame. 

"I can't take the little one! She and the one who looks like Byakko must stay with you tonight. I can bring the other two along, but I must not lead the younger children into something even I cannot comprehend!!"

"...Fair enough." I stared at Conan. "Are you alright with this?"

"Very much so." The boy's eyes looked more distant now than ever. "I want to see Mother again...and I also want to find out Seiryuu's motives, and Dad's the only one who knows anything about either of these things."

"Then it's decided." I turned around. "Mercy!! Come here; look, I was hoping that you and your siblings could see Irasa off on her journey tonight, but something more serious is going on, and it involves you..."

* * *

_Meanwhile, on the cliff overlooking Momijitaka, two gods inspect the valley where the dawn soared over the mighty river, and the villagers are serenely unaware. It's unclear how long the two gods stayed, but it seemed as though the lonely Seiryuu had arrived here long before Suzaku. Now, both awaited the waking of the sun..._

* * *

~Seiryuu~

"There's no mistaking it. It's adjacent to the disaster area where the village of Shouryuu died," I glanced off in the direction of the slowly diving moon, where people once settled...but no more. "Ever since it was flooded, no one had used the land, nor rebuilt the houses. A bit shameful that your Chichiri is the one who would have to return here tonight, of all places...this is about as close to the tragedy as he can get."

A slim scarlet eyebrow rose. "Funny...you never used to feel sorry for my seishi. The fact that the village of Shouryuu used to be here shouldn't matter at all."

"It's partly because I feel sorry for your son."

"Oh, is that it? I was thinking that you might've actually cared..."

"They're just semi-related issues. There was never any real bond between you and I, Suzaku," I muttered. "It's ridiculous for one to start because of your child."

There was a long silence.

Save for the nocturnal creatures and cretins that roamed the night, it was surprisingly peaceful. Blue was the color of despair and drowning, and it painted the sky tonight...a veil of water that killed the sounds of flora and fauna. It was both deadly and beautiful, how it could just shut everything up.

I frowned.

I needed to be a little more eloquent in my inner monologue. 

Suzaku cleared his throat.

"What? Silence not good enough for you?" I glared in his direction. 

"Well, you know me."

Another pause.

"Do you really...love my son?"

I inhaled softly. Somehow, I knew this dreadful topic was going to come up sooner or later...

"I've loved him for a long time, Suzaku. We aren't blood brothers, but we are all created by Taiitsu-kun from the same magic - which should be obvious, since that cosmic joke of a boy Nagi looks just like Byakko, and there had to be some sort of supernatural link beyond their blood lines - so I'm surprised you couldn't figure me out. And believe you me, Suzaku, you couldn't figure me out for a long, long time..."

"What was it that you said you told him? That you were beside him his entire life?" Suzaku wrinkled his nose in distain. "And I didn't notice you had feelings for him, in all that time? In all that time!! Damn, I must really be losing my edge...I should've at least realized you were in your human form more often than usual! It happened with me and Juri, too; as soon as I gained strong feelings for her, my beast form started to lose its potency, and I started becoming human more often - and sometimes subconsciously. You were doing the exact same thing, and I didn't even notice!! Not until Conan himself pointed out that you were with him did I take any notice of your spirit at all! But...you were always near us. How could I not have noticed?!"

"Exactly what I wonder sometimes..."

"I am such an ass!!"

"...And that would be the first true thing that you've said tonight. More and more honest now that you've been living as a human for about 20 years, aren't you? And Canadian, too. What a predicament."

"Shut. Up."

"I'm assuming that wasn't because you were patriotic?"

"Shut...UP...Seiryuu...!!"

Yet another extensive pause. Then...

"Do you REALLY love him?"

"You asshole! I've told you I loved Conan about, what, 5 times now?!" I bared my teeth. "You know, the only reason why I'm even staying up with you is to see whether Juri remembers anything about her past life or not, so that if she does, I can at least get permission for being as close as I am to her child!! I know that he would think I'm irresponsible if I didn't, and I..."

I muttered underneath my breath, and straightened, huffing in the cold. "And I wouldn't dare to make a bad impression on him or his mother, as utterly ridiculous as that sounds, so - "

"Excuse me? EXCUSE ME?! Now, _who _did you say was honest? _Who _did you say was Canadian?!" 

"Ow! Stop elbowing me."

"But it's fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuun..."

"Stop it!!"

"Like hell, I would!! Say uncle first!"

"NO!!"

"Say it, damn you!! All this about getting Juri's permission to get close to Conan, and nothing about asking his father? Phah! Say it or suffer the wrath of the in-laws - erm, IN-LAW!!"

* * *

_Meanwhile, back at the palace..._

* * *

~CLAMPraven~

The lanterns dangling from the carriage flickered in the horizon, as the voices dispersed, and everyone fell into silence once again. The stars twinkled, frolicking overhead, and the night seemed to envelope us completely. The insects reemerged, chirping quietly as the churning of the wheels, reflecting ghastly whites and silvers upon the gravel road, disappeared completely.

We stayed like that, as the others waved goodbye to Irasa's carriage. Nagi was as still as a doll beside me, his eyes haunted by the night, and Ame's face had gently rippled in a glad expression. 

"Will she be back, CLAMPraven-san?"

"I can't say. It'll be a crime to disappoint you kids," I whispered, placing a hand on her shoulder. "But even though it's sad, Irasa had fought valiantly alongside us; I don't think that anything like that has ever occurred in the past. The gods and the Mikotos can be f*cking cruel at times, but they'll give her a pardon, I think." 

As I stood beside the holy children in the glow of the night, I realized something. Our heights were roughly level, but tonight, I felt as though I stood upon the pedestal of gods, and looked down upon the world...it gleamed red for me, as I touched it, but it would not curve or wane underneath my fingers. It was so close I could touch it, but so cold that I couldn't change it, so numbing I could barely say a word.

I'm standing on the edge of the world. Children, can you carry me further? It is sad...you have already seen so much, so much that you didn't have to if Suzaku could've only prevented it, but this knowledge has made you wise beyond our power; perhaps it is that you...shall be the last remaining bond between me and your mother.

I stared from Nagi to Ame. Was it a curious stare? I did not look to their eyes, but I looked to their back, as though I expected to see wings there. Did the children have wings?

Can you carry me further than the edge of the world? I remember Juri could...surely you could do so, too...? Can you carry me to my comrade across the sea of death? I know she waits...she must! She is waiting for me...

And we all love her so much...as deadly as she is beautiful, she can never embrace us fully, the selfish bitch. That woman had to die...perhaps it wasn't within Suzaku's power, to deny it from her? But she does love us, and more than in an offhand sort of way...she must know our pain.

We always thought that Juri was innocent, despite the fact that the oracle Juri appeared to be so dark...

But maybe...that was the real Juri...?

Nagi turned away from the night, and underneath the light of the northern gate, he turned from beast to human, and shook off the hounding illusions of the dark. "So, what about that story you were telling us? You were approaching the part where Suzaku and Juri were about to reunite, and not that I'm an insane romantic, but I think I'd choke on my retainer if you didn't shove us off the cliffhanger."

Cliff...

Cliffhanger...?

"Oh! Damn it...of course, of course," I shook my head, and smiled sadly. "Hell...it's been a long night. Sorry about that."

"It is no capital crime to be drifting off," Nagi folded his arms, and tsked softly. "We'll all be a bunch of half-dead insomniacs tonight..." He stared off to the stars. "And I'm concerned about Mom. I wonder if we're just all grasping at limp fish here? If she really is alive, she must have her motives; Mom's like that...you understand."

"Please continue with the story, CLAMPraven-san," Ame nodded, as we stepped through the gate, and headed back in the direction of the Koudoutai shrine. The ripe moon hung above us like a dead man's head, pale as a sickle underneath the devil's glow. The trees muttered amongst one another with distrust. "It would take our minds off our fear. Tonight would feel terrible...at dawn, a new hope would shine." She clasped her tiny hands together. "I just hope it would shine bright enough...!"

I felt like an idiot. Scratching my head, I blinked, and tried to play along, completely ridding myself of my other thoughts. 

F*ck! The half-gods are smarter than their daddy! If I'd known I'd be lagging along at this pace...

"Um...yeaaaaaaaah. You know, you two are really bright kids! Brighter than some of the seishi, including one very annoying redhead. Um...now, where were we?"

"The said annoying redhead's enlightenment, CLAMPraven?"

"Ah! That. F*ck, my memory's bad. So, anyway, Tasuki fussed a hell of a lot. He was so damned sure that the stranger who fell from the roof during the fight with Hitori couldn't have been Suzaku, poor bastard. Then, well, there was that awkward silence, and Tasuki turned to look at the god again, and, well, there it was, smack in the face. The idiot couldn't speak. Frankly, if I were in his place, I wouldn't have done a hell of a lot better. Suzaku would've probably butchered him, had it not been for Juri stepping in."

We stepped lightly across the pavilion as I continued. An owl hooted in the distance, a haunting sound. 

"Well, what do you know? The couple finally saw each other face-to-face, after enough telepathic communication to make you never want to use internet messaging again! And after exchanging a few corny sentences, they instinctively leaned forward, for true love's first kiss..." 

Instinctively, I sighed, a rather shaken, lovesick little sound...then my eyes bulged out in horror as I realized what I just did. Nagi turned beet red, and nearly tripped over a rock.

"CLAMPRAVEN!!!"

"Yatta! Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiittt....it was instinct, INSTINCT!! Instinct, nostalgia, a backfire of my conscience!!"

"Nagi! Stop it!! The whole palace is staring at us!!"

"Damn it! Knew I shouldn't have gone with the Disney connotations!! And they never f*cking worked before, either..."

* * *

_By this time, Chichiri had already teleported Mercy and Conan, the elder children, to the clifftop that overlooked Momijitaka village. Or, rather, halfway to the clifftop..._

* * *

~Conan~

"Well, I guess Napoleon's winter is coming back to us, and no f*cking lie," Mercy muttered, wrapping her arms closer around her body. "And even the mage of legends and folktales innumerable couldn't save us from having to hike 40 kilometers on a vertical slope." 

The monk sighed. "Mercy, please have patience! The thing about searching for your parents is that it's not within our capabilities anymore; I only directed us here because I didn't know where to start, no da. This valley is so far away from the palace on the outskirts of Konan that I could barely sense where Suzaku was; I believe he kept his ki down just to tease us, no da. Your father does that a lot. He knew the seishi haven't been using their powers, and they've been diminishing over time, na no da." 

He paused. 

"And even if I had a choice, I wouldn't have climbed to the top. For there is where I would break my heart..."

Trekking onwards behind the two, I felt a sudden pang in my heart for this wizened old traveler. Although I knew not what had hurt him, I felt his pain as strongly as if it were my own, and his voice echoed in my ears, as closely as if he had been standing next to me.

What was it that he feared?

A trail of breath lingered from Mercy's dark lips, into the unending abyss. She seemed to be thinking about this as well, though Mercy never thought about things very long. And when she grew tired of thinking about them, those lips would reveal fangs, and draw blood from the hearts of innocent people. She would do that...because that's the way she had been for a long time.

As clearly as if it were yesterday, I recalled how Dad used to comment that Mercy's lips were as dark as Mom's eyes, if not even darker. "They were the same color", he used to say, "but your eyes, Jenny, are like rose petals underneath the setting sun, while Mercy's are like the same rose petals...but crushed. One of you forebodes death, and the other is like a death-bringer." This would not upset Mercy at all, because her gothic interest was long-lived, even before Mom passed away; her favorite gods were those of death, like Thanatos and Lucifer, and being a girl without fear, she would grin sweetly.

But her lips were like death; she said it herself. She used those lips to intoxicate people. And while they are dreaming pleasantly, she would smash them. I both loved her and feared her for this...because although I think she'd never crush me...I am never sure.

"If you want, you can stay here, Chichiri; no one forces you to go and break your heart," Mercy tilted her head, with a look that was beyond sympathy...it was pity. "But I've already heard the wolves...and before daybreak, they have just enough time to devour you, I'd say. Don't you know? They love surprises. And when they get to your heart, it wouldn't be a warrior's heart they're shredding between their teeth." She smiled bitterly. "It would already have been dead."

Chichiri's eyes were wide, but he stood firm. I shook my head sadly.

"Mercy..."

Heaving a sigh, she grunted, and commenced the hike once again. "Ah, the things people do; don't we all kill ourselves eventually? Phah! But I think the f*cking ledge is finally up ahead; with a little luck, we'd find all that we're looking for!"

With that, she trotted up without another word. I turned to Chichiri apologetically.

"I'm sorry...don't take her to heart. She's always like this, and we've gotten used to it. Mercy loves the thrill of frightening people...she always has...and I'm sure she didn't mean to offend you. She's just looking for someone who understands her, and - "

"Conan."

Chichiri glared me in the eye, and I had never been so scared in all my life. The scar shone prominently in his face, a cut that bled shadow across light, and his living eye was that of a fire - an ember that devoured the oncoming sun.

He turned away.

"I shall be waiting at the foot of the hill. But remember, Conan - your father has roles for you and your siblings. You are the holy children, and as such, you will have to assume responsibilities here that none of you should have to take on...and yet you must. Right now, the other two are much too young. It is your time...and Mercy's time."

He gazed at me emotionlessly out of the corner of his eye.

"But heed this warning: _you are not like your sister._ You are an angel of life...your kindness is rare, and it has made you gentle and knowledgeable; you shall spread this as a priest in Konan, and all who hear your voice will rejoice - because they would know they've heard the voice of a heavenly deity. You shall be surrounded by children, and you shall have the happiness your mother could not.

"But your sister shall never have that happiness. I've seen the evil in her eyes, and whether she is aware of it or not, she is an angel of death. She shall bring forth the accursed and the sins across the land, and she shall laugh in the face of all that is just. She shall die unhappy, Conan. But she shall have power...so much power that she may dominate the hearts of this land, if you're not careful."

I was frozen with fear.

"Then...!"

"But she will never hurt you. She will never touch you or the other children - because she still loves you. It is like you said - Mercy seeks understanding and longs for companionship, but I'm afraid no one will ever understand her the way your family does, and she will never love another being. Yet despite that, I will help her, and I will persuade the seishi to help her - because she is an empress amongst women, as evil as she may seem."

The sun had already begun to rise in the distance. I felt weak...the whole day has been a hurricane. But now the dawn brings a new hope...

"She will never abandon us, would she, Chichiri?"

Chichiri nodded, and smiled gently. "Never, no da." His 'no da's have returned, as well. "And she will always take care of you...even though it may seem offhanded and meaningless. But you'd better catch up to her, no da! Mercy's intuition is already growing as a young demigod - she was right, no da! I sense two powers...and they're both on the ledge up ahead, na no da!"

-

True to his word, Chichiri left, and I sped up to find that Mercy was already hugging Dad on the clifftop. The sun shone bright in my eyes, and I raised a hand to block it from my eye...

But it seemed to yield to my command, and I suddenly found it lukewarm and misty. For a second, I though this was just my imagination. But Dad turned in the light's direction and smiled at me.

"Who says the land can't bring out the inner god?" He winked. "I think it's just the atmosphere of Konan...for the past 18 years, you haven't shown me any progress in the ways of your powers, Conan, and I thought you were going to have to go without! But even the sun has a respect for you here..."

"So my powers are growing," I acknowledged softly. "All in all, what a strange and wonderful day it's been...!"

"Seems a bit overdoing it on the melodrama, though, wouldn't you say?" Mercy smirked. 

The radiance of the dawn played in her hair as she gazed down to the village. And for the strangest moment, she glowed...a glow that reminded me of the charm she used to possess when she was little. "Mom's down there, then. It seems to make as little sense as it can while making all the sense in the world. Heh." Her eyes were shining as she turned to me; was she really there? "I don't understand it at all, and even though it leaves me in a precarious little ditch here, it'll be more than okay.

"She's alive, and I'll have another chance to learn about her." 

This was...!

I bowed my head, covering my eyes so that she couldn't see there were tears contained within them. How could she be this way...all while being so cruel? How can the sun reflect off her, and make her as radiant as youth itself? She was like the moon, cold and desolate, but dreamy, and she would always be a mirror of the light; she had but little light of her own, and yet she could still guide us. Did that make me the sun? Was Dad and I her sources of light, and were Nagi and Ame also?

Chichiri was right...he was right, and I didn't even realize how right he was...none of the circumstances matter anymore.

Mom knew this. Mom always knew this when she was a girl, and she put all her strength towards it. She knew that fate didn't matter - anyone can defy it, if they can scheme another fate, and make others believe in it. Her ideals drew forth followers, friends, and lovers...or were they all the same? The combined belief they have in Juri toppled even what the world considered just...and it changed it. Her ideals changed the world, and created the love that gave birth to me and my siblings. Mercy has this within her, as a channel in her DNA structure...and as a part of her heart. It doesn't matter if she was destined to become a harbinger of death...

She's always going to be Mercy. She'll always be my little sister, even if she corrupts the world. 

Always...my happy little sister, the one that used to exist so vividly while Mom was alive. And Mom is still alive now...

"So, Chichiri didn't come with you?" Mercy chuckled. "The coward...he didn't stay on the mountain, did he? I wasn't kidding when I said the wolves could scoff him down; they like wimpy heart-broken mages - it's a little touch of something they don't get very often."

Wimpy? Coward? A coward, who taught me about you?

I laughed. "Mercy, I mean this in the absolute kindest way, but you have no idea what you're saying, do you?!"

"Conan."

The voice hit me like hailstones. But I didn't have to turn around; it was him. 

This man...this beautifully desperate creature said my name with a longing I didn't dare deny. His breath was like the sloshing of water...his gaze like the glare of steel mail. This was not a man...this was a dragon. And yet he was so human I could easily fall back on him, and never be afraid...

And this towering beast both frightened me and drew me closer. It could not have been just fear; in my chest, my heart pounded with power I could not imagine, and I was overwhelmed with the desire to look into his eyes...!

I was truly not like you, Mercy. I didn't feel the need to fight destiny...not this time...

Because the heavens looked upon us with sympathy that dawn. This path would bring me happiness, I knew...

"Seiryuu," I turned to him, "there's a reason for the way I feel, isn't there? I feel empowered, being around you. It's nothing like when I fell in love with Brian...can you understand this?"

He nodded, slowly but affirmatively. "Your feelings are on a completely different level now. They have reached the pinnacle of our plane of existence."

"So...in other words...this was the moment I lived to see. This...for you...is why I exist," I whispered. "You've always protected me with water, but sometimes you cannot protect me from yourself, Seiryuu. You've always loved me, haven't you? And you were afraid...this is why your voice was so filled with longing. Every word you said sounded like a tragic composition; it wasn't just my imagining it."

Standing near me, Mercy had already gotten bored with our intimate moment, but Dad wasn't so much so. If I had taken a clear look at him, I would've been astounded, to see that he was the most emotional I'd ever seen him. I think at one point, I understood why - he, being a seikun, had amazing foresight and intuition. He must've already known that his son was no longer going to rely on him anymore...there was someone else. And his mortal enemy, at that...I was surprised he didn't try to tear us apart. 

But Dad was a god of love...! He knows we can't help ourselves sometimes. Seiryuu and I barely know each other, but he's been protecting me all my life...in a way, the commitment was made a long time ago, and Dad just didn't know who my groom was supposed to be at the wedding. But knowing that it was Seiryuu made little difference. His bond with Mom was the same...he wouldn't have dared stopped her, so he wouldn't dare stop me. I thanked him for that...

Seiryuu looked away. "If this offends you, I can leave. I don't mean to probe your heart, and I won't manipulate you - I will never do something so disgraceful. I had always been afraid of this day, Conan..." 

"But I love you, too."

The god was stunned, and he stared at me, his lovely eyes widened incredulously. 

"Know what you are saying, Conan, for my sake; are you sure you - "

"Don't be afraid of me, Seiryuu, please."

"I am not afraid of you," Seiryuu muttered hastily, "I'm afraid _for_ you!"

"Same difference," both Mercy and Dad offered at the same time.

"This was the way I felt, too. A long time ago..." Dad stared off into the now blossoming sky, with clouds of pink and gold. "There were times back when she was young that I was so afraid for Jenny, I would've prayed for her every night, if only I had some higher entity to pray _to_!" He laughed. "And Taiitsu-kun doesn't count; I already have her number on the speed dial of my cell phone! But in any case, it was all inane, because Juri could take care of herself just fine. It was like she had some sort of inner demon, that braced the danger whenever the opportunity came near. She astounded everyone else. She wasn't so much a prodigy as a rebel.

"And Conan is made of the same blood she is, infused with mine. He'll be fine! He's collapsed a few times before, and I was the most worried out of everyone in the family, but he's the first child of Suzaku and the very most powerful of all my children. I wouldn't allow you anywhere near him if he was fragile like Irasa and Taikou used to be. Juri would tell you the same!" 

At this point, he pointed down the valley.

"Look - here she comes!"

There was a mad scramble, as both Seiryuu and I snapped out of our trances, and Mercy nearly fell over the ledge in shock.

"WHAT?!?"

-

~Suzaku~

Everyone immediately raced to the edge of the cliff and squatted down, eagerly following my gaze.

The village of Momijitaka was covered in maple trees that were said to be brought from over the sea, from the new wave of explorers that entered Konan*. They were so rare, to be seen in abundance, that even the emperors and empresses were astounded, and coveted them dearly for their scarlet color. The village's founder had connections with the explorers that brought them over, and the plants flourished in the valley so successfully that, from above, all we could see were masses of burnt red leaves...a trademark of this time of year.

But there was a small river that flowed out of Momijitaka as well...the Inochi river, a tributary of the river that flooded Shouryuu. Across the river was a white bridge, an almost historical little thing...

Mercy gasped.

"Holy f*ck. I see our perpetrator - I mean, our mom..."

I glared at her wryly. "Mercy, spare us of your almighty sarcasm, for once..."

"Well, it's true. With this tense surveillance, the air is two percent thicker than it was at Chernobyl!" She shrugged. "But, hey, if you've finally become serious, then let the big guy upstairs rejoice and let down his hair. What the hell; your call."

Conan blinked, as the girl crossed the bridge. "But wait...Mom didn't have blonde hair!"

"Naive little ones...Juri will be reincarnated as many different things in her lifetime," Seiryuu told them. "She could've been reborn a boy or a beast, flora or fauna. It was by simple chance that, out of the millions of things Taiitsu-kun could've made her, she decided to spare her a worse fate and turn her into a blonde-haired girl." He glanced at me knowingly. "But I get the feeling that even if she had been reincarnated as a flea, your father would recognize her in a heartbeat and love her all over again...hairy abdominal area and all."

"Well, that's Jenny for you. And that's Conan for _you_," I pointed out. 

"You know me too well." He draped an arm around my son, who blushed immediately, but clung to his hand, accepting his touch. Seeing that it didn't violate him, Seiryuu smiled gently, and ran long fingers through his red hair, careful not to hurt his scalp with the razor sharp talons. 

_Yep. I was a stupid asshole. Wasn't the tender affection obvious? He loved him. He did..._

"I may be but a fool, but I think I understand; you did mean the words you said, didn't you?"

Conan's eyes shone with an ethereal light. "Every word. But if we're going to be made fools of love, I think we might as well enjoy it. You're right...I don't know as much about you as I should like." He turned - if this was possible - even redder. "But I would very much like to learn, Seiryuu." He giggled. "And therefore, I'm assuming that you're coming to the wedding reception, Dad. Are you?"

"My family is a race of rhetorical goons." I muttered in deadpan, then slapped my forehead, and laughed out loud. "Whoo! Well, at least you got _something_ from me, you little nimrods, but I adore you all to bits..."

Mercy muttered indiscernibly. "Oh, for the love of god..."

We all laughed, our voices ringing in the morning sun. It chased away the tenseness from my shoulders, and it felt good...it was certainly not at all like being with the others. The seishi had their own charisma...

My family has their profanity. 

Same difference. 

But we all miss Jenny, and that's why, as the beautiful young girl with golden locks and Jenny's red eyes stared curiously up at the laughter from the hills, we laughed our loudest. In a way, I guess an onlooker might've even said that we ignored her. Or tried to.

At that point, looking at the light sparking in my children's eyes, I think they finally understood.

_Jenny means everything to us...but we have let her go. It's good enough to know she's out there, and that she's still the same person she'll always be. She loves us, and we love her, but we'll leave her alone...at least for now. _

_Because our lives are hectic, what with our loves and our laughs...we'll never make the same room for her that we had before. Look at us! We're exploring something new. We're exploring a world where we're flying free, and we've become mature. These are new lives we're planting, and they've sprouted in leafy boughs. _

_And now...she has a new life, too._

_We'll let her live a little, be free for a while, before I return to her. She doesn't' t need her past life...she needs her brand new life, just like we need our brand new lives without her. We shall keep her in our hearts, and we may miss her...but we know she needs to be alone. Didn't she always? We'll do without her, because we don't need to trouble her with this right now. We have our masses of problems, and she has hers...entangling them means weighing all of us down, but everything is timing. When the right time comes, and we're free of problems, I would go to her again. But now...we're beautiful just the way we are. _

_And we're all laughing and crying...we're having fun._

_We're the same people, no matter how you look at it. We're healing ourselves - this process is necessary. Don't ruin it with your selfish needs, Suzaku. This is an independent lesson...we're happier off this way. The children must grow without me or their mother...they must branch out alone. And I..._

I smiled. I remembered her kisses, the curve of her lips, her crystalline laugh. I remember the eyes that held so much mystery I was captivated by them eternally, and I remember the voice that coaxed peace into the hearts of mad demons. She upheld the world. She was mine entirely. She was so clear I could put everything I ever knew about her together, and recreate her face even in storms of sand and rain.

_The little girl. Jenny's reincarnate is only 8 years old...the same age as Ame. They look so much alike...! She's standing in a white dress, holding her basket of bright red leaves, and looking towards the cliff top...she's so pretty I could embrace her and never let go. It's the same face I always looked at, isn't it? Such a pretty girl...there are even ribbons in her hair, like emerald entwined in gold..._

And now, even though I don't understand it, and that child standing innocently on the bridge with her golden locks flying reminds me of everything I used to have, my mind is filled with one thing. It was the same thing that I told myself, when Taiitsu-kun informed me that Jenny was going to die.

_Let her go._

_She can fly on her own._

"Dad...Dad? You're crying. Dad, are you okay?"

It was Conan's voice. A small tear crept down the side of my face...

"Yes..."

_I am crying. But it doesn't mean anything. It feels like waking from the saddest dream with stained eyes, and weeping in silence even after you're awake, because you can't remember why you were upset. _

_Yes; it's like that. Like losing someone...losing the night..._

_...But gaining the day._

"It's a new beginning," I murmured, then quickly snapped out of it, clapping my hands together gleefully. "But let's go back to the palace; they must be worried sick about us! Well, most of them, anyway; Tasuki never quite liked me. I think we've all seen enough." I laughed, and stood up from the cliff. 

Jenny's reincarnate spotted me immediately from the village down below. Her red eyes widened, and magnified the light of the rising sun. Her golden locks swung around, and played in the breeze. She was amazed.

"Su...za...ku...!"

_It's a part of her...she'll always remember. _

_ It's like Irasa's reincarnation, where instinct rules all. When Irasa returns to the palace as a grown Medusa again, many years from now, she'll remember that the old couple standing by the shrine were Taikou and Enri, her friends. She'll remember that the emperor was her respected Hotohori-sama, and she'll know the seishi...though she may never recall their names. Jenny is the same._

_She'll always remember me._

My heart squeezed painfully as I raised a hand...and waved. 

Turning away, I gestured for the others to follow me. They were a bit stunned at my casualty, but I think they realized how solemn it was for me as well. The children took a last parting look, but Seiryuu moved them along.

They understood.

"It's a shame she's still so young...a little smaller than Ame, actually! But there will come the time when she is grown up. In Momijitaka, there is an autumn festival; have you heard of it? No, of course not. But autumn is the season of maturity and ripeness, and while the harvest is being collected, there is a ritual...one of the most romantic rituals in Konan, in my opinion. 

"The white bridge across the river Inochi is a sacred bridge, marked with the kanji for 'new love', and on the evening of the sickle-shaped moon, when the leaves are still shedding, all of the coming of age maidens shall daintily walk upon the bridge. They shall be dressed in light silks and shall be adorned in flowers, if not jewels, their hair styled beautifully. In every which way, they would be perfect. And on this night, the red birds shall fly in from the east, and journey across the river to the west...these birds would sing lovely melodies, but they are extremely picky, and shall eat from the hands of the maidens only fresh batches of rose petals. And they would only eat the offerings of the most beautiful maidens. 

"When the birds depart, it should be morning. If a maiden's batch of rose petals were considered acceptable offerings, it means that she has the blessing of Suzaku...she would return to the main square of the village, and chose any man that her heart desires; they would be married that very night...this is the most important ritual of a young girl's life here. 4 years from now, my dear Jenny will participate in this very ritual; she shall be 12, the same age as when I first met her. By then, you would all be grown up. Conan might even have learned some of my magic, and Nagi and Ame shall know their mother's whereabouts. I shall return to her in red autumn...

"Autumn...the season of new age and love..."

The sun dawned brightly above our heads as we descended from the edge, away from the maple trees of Momijitaka, not to be seen again for 4 more years...

But even without looking, I could see her. I could see her hair, the shade of cornflowers, curling and cascading down her frail shoulders. I could see her lips, dark red and curved. And her eyes, dark red, darker than the bloodied rose in midnight...what is she saying? Does she beckon us?

"Suzaku..."

My children and I were departing soon. The portal will come, and whisk us away in hours; we'd return with Nagi frantically trying to find excuses for his first late attendance, and Mercy putting her new curses to use. It'd be as though nothing's ever happened, as if Jenny's love was always there. It was never gone, was it?

As if nothing's ever happened. 

...

Maybe nothing has.

* * *

_But a promise was made that day._

_Eventually, after finishing his university degree in literature, Conan returned to the Universe of the Four Gods as a wandering priest; he would stay there for extended amounts of time, and come back to Toronto occasionally, to make sure the oven doesn't explode on the holidays. He found refuge in the strangest places...in various parts of Mt. Taikyoku, sometimes in Mt. Leikaku - when the bandits aren't drunk - and always at Konan's capital. He preached the ways of Suzaku, along with the Koudoutai monks, their energetic apprentices, and some of the seishi. Eventually, Conan brought union between Konan and Kutou's governments...but that was another story._

_Needless to say, he and Seiryuu had bonded over the years, and the dragon god would often accompany him when he was alone, and Conan always had the good will of rivers and streams, as a token of the love they shared. When he reached his 25th birthday - which came after the 4 years of Suzaku's waiting - Seiryuu summoned the nerve to propose. Conan's answer...was also another story. _

_Eheh._

_Conan was the leader of the holy children, an omen of good will and love. His esteem was constantly at odds with his sister, Mercy, who, after graduating from high school, started coming to the Universe of the Four Gods on occasion. Although visiting less often than her older brother, Mercy did stay for extended periods of time when she was needed, and - as Chichiri promised - did receive the trust of the seishi as well. Always cloaked in black, unlike Conan's constant white attire, she was a signal of death and ill betrayal to come. Despite her beauty, she never married; there were no documents of anyone having won her affections, but had there been anyone, they would've almost certainly perished. _

_The lesser demigods, Nagi and Ame, didn't return to the Universe of the Four Gods again until after 10 more years. When they did, Nagi became the holy child of wisdom, and stayed at the side of the young emperor Boushin, to advise him alongside Chiriko; he was a strategist, a peacekeeper, and sometimes taught the children living beyond the capital. _L_ast but not least, Ame, the most beautiful child of all, and forever the most innocent, was deemed the harbinger of hope and illusion; she, of all the children, was the only one to live amongst the Mikotos, dwelling in Castle Siren with Seiki, the Uoza no Mikoto. She symbolized revelation, and was the messenger of news both good and bad..._

_But this is not the end of the story._

_4 years after their first visit, the autumn harvest was being collected in Momijitaka. Jenny, now named Suijunkawa Bara, was attending the coming of age ritual, when a stranger flew from the sky out of nowhere..._

* * *

~Mercy~

"Sometimes I marvel at the nerves of that idiot," I mused.

"Sh! And don't talk of Dad that way!" Conan, who stood beside me, glanced hastily from me to the scene unfolding below us. "You know he's waited 4 years for this!"

"And you waited 4 years for Seiryuu to kiss you; that hasn't happened yet, either. I've cursed you before, haven't I?" I smirked, as the first signs of the ritual sprung into view underneath the moonlit sky. "And you're family."

"We're black and white, Mercy," Conan sighed, his gorgeous face etched with worry. "And you know, we're really not supposed to be spying..."

"We're not spying. You don't think Dad knows we're here?"

There was silence for a while.

The two of us were standing on the very same ledge that we stood on the morning we first saw Mom...or, at least, we think it's the same one. Ledges are ledges are f*cking ledges; that wasn't our concern. But we were greeted by the same sight as before...the myriad of scarlet leaves, and the scent of a new harvest. The moon was ripe above us, almost ready to be picked, like a glowing fruit.

I loved the full moon.

And beneath it, on the small white bridge overtop the river Inochi, walked a steady line of girls. They were all approximately Mom's age - I guessed they'd have to be - and all decked with bouquets and garlands of seasonal flowers. Their long, flowing white dresses shimmered like ivory in the night, and cast long shadows upon the pure bridge. Some of the girls had worn what looked to be pearls, and they had the privilege of being in front...

...Damn it. Status and class were everywhere; there's an aristocracy even in a place as pitifully quaint as Momijitaka. 

Conan squeezed my arm, motioning me to move back from the edge, and to keep concealed...that over-cautious ass! He was the only one who had to be concerned with that. He's the one who insists on wearing lily white every goddamn mission we had... 

"There she is." He pointed a long finger (attached to a very, VERY obvious glowing white sleeve, big brother...hello ~ ?) down to the bridge.

But she wasn't standing in line with the other girls. 

No...our mother was standing underneath the tall maple tree that bordered the shore of the frothing river, that gleamed light upon her face. I had to squint to get a proper look at her.

She was 12, and still very young, and most likely as beautiful as Ame. Her hair had lengthened since the last time, and was styled into loops and braids that curled around her features. She wore the long gown that the other girls wore, and it shimmered just as brightly; she wore the same flowers that they wore, water and tiger lilies all along her neckline and her arms, with goldenrods tucked snugly in her hair. 

But she didn't have a bouquet of roses, the fresh-picked roses that she was supposed to have for the birds to eat. 

They were held in the hands of the man she was talking to. And while the other maidens stood, waiting upon the bridge in the cold of night, she stood underneath the towering tree, talking to the boy with red hair and immortal eyes...beautiful beyond comparison.

Dad.

I wrinkled my nose and grinned. "Aw, Dad...the old flirt. He reverted to a younger age for her, didn't he? Now he looks like a regular grade school kid...he can be a real bunion sometimes, you know that?"

Conan snuffed out his laugh with his elegant long hand, but when he removed his fingers, there was a definite smile on his face. He shook his head helplessly.

"Mercy..."

"What? Are the complications of love too much for me to digest? Spill, you asshole. I'm going to make you eat those words, and you'd better swallow them good. You're not a bulimic."

"Haha..."

The two of us descended from the ledge, just in time to see the red birds swoop down from the misty skies, and tumble down towards that little white bridge in Momijitaka. Tonight, dreams will come true. As the birds' bright plumage distracted me for a brief second, I cast my glance down to the waters of the Inochi river, just in time to see that Dad was embracing Mom. 

No. Not Mom. Bara. Her name was Bara.

"Rose."

I smiled, and continued to climb down, following Conan's long strides. Some things...you'd just have to let go of. Tonight, I think we'll tell the little ones about this. Yeah...even if it'll distract Nagi from his EQAO testing, and even if it means letting Ame give Dad a migraine with that shrill little voice of hers. The household deserves to be happy tonight.

We weren't here to see the beginning, but we're here to see the end. And even if my words were sometimes witty, I can only wonder what had come to pass before this. 

And...

The birds ascended from the bridge, and headed towards the heavens, their voices echoing eternal songs that would be imprinted in the waves of the river and the veins of the trees. 

Even if I can be scornful...

...I still wonder sometimes what a great love they had, that weaved such a long journey, both beautiful and sad, both hurtful and serene... 

* * *

* - People, people!! Although China hasn't been known to have maple trees, the Universe of the Four Gods is a real world equivalent! For those of you die-hard fans who believe that it is, in fact, an exact replica of ancient China, here's my share of the news! Around the time when the Chinese were prosperous, there were European explorers, and I believe I might like to add some of their culture here. And why not? Just because it's the Universe of the _Four Gods _doesn't mean that there are only four countries...just that the other ones might not have gods! But they do have maple trees!

And if that explanation was too much...(sweatdrops)...well, they had Medusas! Let's screw it up even more!! ^-^;;; If you like, I could say that the Medusas traveled to Eastern Asia after the FY equivalent of the Trojan Horse incident. No, seriously!! Their habitats were being invaded! But some of them went with Helen of Troy across the sea, and that's why they're rare in Konan. (even bigger sweatdrops) Gaaaah...

To be honest, it was simple patriotic pride that brought the maples in. And 'momiji' was such a fun woooooooord...

(I've watched waaaaaaay too many episodes of Spongebob Squarepants. If you don't know, don't ask. Not only do we not own it, but we dare not advertise its insanity. If you do know...gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah. Not by choice!!! Dumbass Canadian programming...!!)

* * *

What else is there to say, when the story is done, and the cast has already gone? I apologize for the long wait, minna; I was finishing up LOTR, book one. And I returned the Silmarillion (2nd migraine. You can't get any worse than that...). 

That's what took me...plus a lot of stress, and a lot of work. But don't take it the wrong way!! I reviewed Kaze-chan with this news, and she recommended a visit to the shrink. It's not like that!! It's just _stress!_! If Kaze-chan's reading, thanks for your attention to the matter, but it was never depression, and I'm fine. But thanks anyway!! ^-^ What a nice authoress. Even offered to talk with me. But I never did like shrinks (not you, K-chan). 

I thank everyone who has ever read this fic, and I love you all! Your patience and support has kept me going strongly even though I was busy with other matters! It's because you cared enough about this fic to let me know, and although I am a hypocrite...that's the power of reviews!! (I really should go and review some people, too...^-^;;;) I hope that Juri's story, and the story of her family, were to your liking!

(CLAMPraven is silent for a while. A tear trickles down her face.)

Well, I guess...(sniffs)...that's it.

But what am I saying? It's not over. I created 4 new characters on the last two segments, for f*ck's sake. Any idea why?

(CLAMPraven grins proudly, like you've never seen before.)

Nothing ever ends. For me, the story is over...

For you, the journey may have only begun. I'll leave it up to you. (bows)

(The authoress picks up her baggage, and walks away from the stage; the curtain now draws to a close on the most monumental and successful fanfiction project she has ever completed. From here on, she will move on to Sailormoon and Imadoki, and she will not return to the FY section for some time. But not to worry; she is but an amateur, constantly challenging herself and sharpening her skills. This is her way.)

(Thank you all for your support, on behalf of everyone in the crew. The story ends...here.)

-CLAMPraven 


End file.
